*** It's not often I argue with my elders and betters.

But when Royal Gazette critic Patricia Calnan said of last year's Broadway in Bermuda: "It can't get much better than this,'' she was wrong.

I didn't see last year's show, but I find it hard to believe it could better performances that had pizazz, glitter, glamour and guts.

And from a man who thinks a musical is like a tub of ice cream -- I quite like a couple of scoops but the whole tub makes me feel queasy -- that's praise indeed.

Stars of the New York stage joined forces with the best of Bermuda and the resulting cocktail was a potent mix indeed.

And many of the audience were on their feet for the show-stopping finale Time Warp from the camp cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Wisely, however, the gentlemen of the cast forswore the traditional drag and contented themselves with Bermuda shorts and hose -- and no suspenders either.

Star of the show was Michael James Leslie -- a Cornell Law School graduate whose talents would have been wasted in a courtroom.

Sounding like his larynx had been marinated in Guinness for a few weeks, his rendition of Gershwin's Summertime received rapturous applause -- and Rockin' The Boat from Guys and Dolls was a treat.

And for a big chap, he's remarkably light on his feet as well.

But it's hard to single out one or two when the performances were so uniformly excellent -- from amateurs and professionals alike.

LeYoni Junos brought genuine pathos to the Lloyd Webber I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar.

But the mood lightened seconds later with Everybody Ought To Have A Maid from the rollicking A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.

Daren Herbert, Paul Matthews, Joseph Kolinski and Michael James Leslie gave a delightfully Jack-the-Lad-style salacious and drooling rendition of the paean to the joys of having a domestic servant.

The setting was simple -- and despite the advice of Beverley Crick, Deletta Gillespie and Beth Dunnington in a superbly catty Gotta Get A Gimmick -- the director and her team let the voices take centre stage with no distractions.

But the plain-coloured backcloth turned into a 60s-style lava lamp for Aquarius from Hair -- justified in the circumstances and a nice touch that probably left even the most strait-laced in the audience feeling just a little light-headed.

One criticism -- noticeable when Stephen Bogardus smacked a microphone with outstretched hand at the start of the show -- was that the stage was perhaps just a little too tight-fitting for comfort.

And Beverley Crick and Michael James Leslie's breakneck run through Money, Money from Cabaret, strayed a bit too far from the hypnotic, robotic style of the legendary Liza Minnelli version in the screen adaptation.

But musical director Rusty Magee's own poignant New York Romance was the perfect vehicle for the pre-Raphaelite looks and strong-but-sweet voice of Two Island Productions co-founder Beth Dunnington.

I'm a bit of a Gershwin fan and the Gershwin medley which kicked off Act Two was excellent. Paul Matthews' Treat Me Rough built up to a manic crescendo and Deletta Gillespie proved beyond a shadow of a doubt her claim of I've Got Rhythm.

And Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do was a triumphant hymn to hedonism, showcasing the talents of Nikki Rene amongst others. And Pat Pogson proved she's got it on the stage as well as behind the scenes.

But a slightly half-hearted encore left the show hanging a bit -- although almost anything was bound to be a bit of an anti-climax.

However -- if you haven't got tickets yet, buy them. If you can find any.

RAYMOND HAINEY REVIEW REV