( L - R ) Christopher Daley , Lemon - photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

On Sunday evening when Michelle Buteau, making her Jamaican comedy debut, rubbed the microphone near her zipper as she imitated how happy people would be to get even herpes on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the harrying handclaps that had started before became a disgusted goodbye buzz.

However, when another United States-based comic, Will Sylvince, put the microphone to his crotch in the second segment of International Comedy Fest 2007, therewas uproarious laughter for his imitation of half-asleep self-stimulation while watching the blues.

Buteau's reception at Backyaad, Constant Spring Road, was the kind Michael Abrahams faced on his debut. On Sunday, he got laughter of the positive kind, coming on after Dance Theatre Xpressionz' exquisite Latin moves. "Me hear two laugh. Me glad," Abrahams said after he had lamented on being born under the most questionable sign ("Pisces. Two fish. In the 69 position.")

Comedy buss finalist did their thing

Comedy Buss finalist Leighton Smith, who host Owen 'Blakka' Ellis said should have won, was a riot, saying that when he was in the grandstand at the National Stadium a woman whose face was bleached came to sit beside him.

"Mi dear tek whe yusself an go ova de bleachers," he told her.

Then came Buteau, her only moment of merriment coming when she translated the last of three essential Spanish phrases that she had to learn: "Don't come in my mouth." Then came the microphone itch, the only hitch in the night's hilarity.

That microphone was food for laughter for Lemon, one man shouting, "Which microphone yu have?"

Lemon promptly went backstage for a change and returned to move the house. He said that on a flight to New York the pilot said, "Fasten your seat-belts, we are going through turbulence." "Suppose him was on the plane?" Lemon demanded, referring to the popular entertainer.

Sizzling dancehall opening

Ity and Fancy Cat brought up intermission in uproarious fashion, questioning how many behaved when Buteau put the microphone to her crotch and asking all who would bow for a $1 million to raise their hands. None did. "Some a oonu a bow fe nutten!" one of the duo said and Backyaad exploded.

There was also silence during their roll call when, after getting an enthusiastic 'present' for 'independent woman' and 'woman whe work dem owna money' they asked for 'woman who no want no money from no man', this followed by a burst of laughter.

After the break and a sizzling dancehall opening from Dance Theatre Xpressionz, Blakka was enthusiastic about "dem gal deh. Drew Thomas, U.S.-based comedian with strong Jamaican roots in his voice, said for women news of marriage is a happy occasion. However, "When the men talk about marriage it sounds like something you get diagnosed with. 'Yu hear what happen to Charles? Is there anything we can do for him? No, the invitations have already gone out'."

And as for the men boasting about what they do to women in bed, Thomas said, "If you are not as big as a baby's head you can't do nothing."

There was laughter at Christopher 'Johnny' Daley's reference to "De likkle blue seam police dung a embassy" and knowing merriment to his imitation of the interview process where "everybody a 'ear yu business." He also gave a touch of the lunch hour programme he shares on Nationwide, sitting on the edge of the stage and slipping in and out of three voices to close to laughter.

Sylvince, in the night's most extended performance, was superb, relaxing in a chair that was transformed into a first class seat on an aeroplane then hunching over in it to give the economy experience.

His face was flexible as well, contorting into various grimaces as he imitated a child being beaten badly ("They ever beat you so hard that the sound don't come out right away?") then going stock still in the stone face of a woman not quite into the sexual act, the microphone rattled against the chair to set the tempo.

International Comedy Festival 2007 closed with Apache Chief and Sarge, the latter imitating 'Renato DeCordova Sittin Anedda Adams' in an onstage interview. He duly pulled out a schedule of shootings planned for the upcoming weekend, the last being "a charity shooting on Sunday." They were strong on music, Chef delivering the tunes at Sarge's command, and they closed with Sarge's spot on imitation of Bounty Killer.