"Black Magic" is the analogy that comes to mind when considering this year's offering of "Famous for 15 Minutes" — a little something for everyone, something to get your teeth into, bittersweet, and slightly nutty at times.

For the seventh year the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society has invited local playwrights to submit for judging an original piece no more than 15 minutes in length and involving no more than four characters. The production now gracing the boards of the Daylesford Theatre features six winning plays chosen from 26 submissions by judges Thomas Coash, Jacqueline Raposo and Clifford Lee-Johnson. The overall winner, chosen by celebrity judge Jane McCulloch, will be announced at Saturday's Gala Performance.

Though formal judging is based on the writing only, the audience, not privy to the scripts, must rely on the skills of the actors and directors to form an opinion, and their conclusions might not be the same as that of the judges. They are, however, invited to express their opinions this year by submitting comments following the performances.

There was some "damn fine writing" and acting on show during the evening's entertainment, and all six playwrights are to be commended for offering their work for judgement. That said, there were some weaknesses, and "All in the Same Boat" by Debbie Rigaud suffered in particular from the poor delivery of a number of lines, which were virtually inaudible. The four different characters living together on one boat were thoughtfully portrayed, and the audience, with Liam, were challenged to examine their priorities, but the final brief scene broke the fluidity of the previous action and seemed almost an afterthought.

Fluidity also was a problem for "Alphabet Soup", a comedy of manners by Karenmary Penn. Two divorcés, set up on a blind date by mutual friends, overcome the awkwardness of strangers by playing a series of games, including imagining the secret lives of others in the restaurant, revealing a great deal about themselves in the process. There's a lack of fluidity as they try several different games before settling into the title's alphabet game. Each in turn gives his or her favourite word for each letter of the alphabet. The playwright cleverly uses the game to develop a dialogue and relationship, but the asides are one-sided, and we never learn what Marty is privately thinking, which, given that he is the more empathetic character, is a shame.

"Going Somewhere" by John Gardner touched a cord with every one who has ever been challenged with wrong gates, delayed flights, and an officious ground staff with a finger that could silence Thaao Dill. Caricatures of the restless husband in the loud Hawaiian shirts who complains, "I'm dressed up like a fruit salad" and the wife who hogs all the luggage room provide ample comic fodder. The ground staff's rather inventive solution to the problem provides a comic twist to a delightful piece.

The portrayal of two "ageing queens" in a nursing home touches a raw nerve and salves it with humour. Deftly portrayed by Alex Cabrall and James Bennett, the two characters in Christopher Edwards and Keith Madieros' "Fourteen Blueberries" are given some very funny lines and fill the space between them with some excellent stage business. A blend of bittersweet reminiscences and current constrictions of lifestyle, the play reveals the complex relationship of the "oldest and meanest queen in a docu-drama" and his friend, crazy but reliable, who stalks the male orderlies in his wheelchair. It seems, however, a play of two halves, with the latter half becoming a little too shrill, a little too preachy, when the lighter touch of the first half would serve just as well to deliver the message without losing the entertaining dark humour.

The irony and clever plot twists of Holly Price's "The Donor" leave the audience in suspense until the very end. And while there is much humour in the dialogue and the figure of the cuckolded husband, the audience is also challenged to consider the value of honesty in a relationship — both friendship and marriage.

The final play, Owain Johnston's "Inter-Mortem", ends the evening on a high note. Paige Hallett and Emily Ross, possibly the youngest actors on stage, do the script justice with their portrayal of a heavenly gatekeeper called Alfred, and a recently deceased young woman negotiating her way into an acceptable reincarnation. As heaven and hell have been deemed unworkable (all the more interesting people went to hell, and "no place filled to the brim with right-wingers could be described as heaven"), Erica tries to convince the keeper of the records of life that her good deeds are worth more than 12 karma points — to no avail. And in reincarnation as in life itself, there are no guarantees.

Yet again BMDS has managed to reveal a surprising depth of talent among amateur thespians, and I'm sure the fame of a number will live long beyond 15 minutes. The society is to be commended for providing locals with the opportunity to develop their playwriting talents, and the playwrights are to be commended for rising so adeptly to the challenge.

The production runs until July 26. Tickets are $25 July 21-25, and $75 for the Gala Night reception and performance. The Daylesford box office is open on performance nights July 21 — 26 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.