Constable Shebada and Counsellor Bertram in a scene from Bashment Granny 2. - Contributed

Garfield 'Bad Boy Trevor' Reid's play, Bashment Granny 2 (The Saga Continues), at the Green Gables Theatre is, in one word, witty.

All elements, the characters, the props and music, fit strategically to emanate the fierce passion invested in the production.

From the beginning, peals of laughter were literally ripped from the audience, some persons leaning forward uncontrollably to toss their own emotions at the actors on-stage. What makes the play even more intriguing are the short anecdotes of Jamaican experiences portrayed on-stage, well connected by fine threads of popular Jamaican terms.

verbal punches

Chief among these were the facetious verbal punches spewing from the mouth of Keith 'Shebada' Ramsay, conveying the paradoxical nature of a 'licky licky' policeman who is ever 'militant' on call. Among them were Shebada's reference to the Jamaican boops as a walking ATM and the every present 'chattas'.

Jamaicans will waste no time in adopting creative sayings such as "flirterising' (with) the customer" offered by Mr Bashment (Maxwell 'Maama Man' Grant) in his adroit way of humouring listeners.

It took 11 scenes, staged in a bar setting, to bring the sizzling brew of romance and jealousy, deceit, treachery and Jamaican hocus pocus to a climax.

'fish eating'

Playing the blame game, the insatiable appetite of Jamaican men for many women, and the unique spelling disability of Jamaicans were among the samplings of Jamaican culture, along with a brief tribute to the popular hobby of 'eating fish'.

The main plot surrounds a bag with $12 million, some of which was 'rinsed' on the opening of the Bashment Entertainment Lounge, where the entire play unravels. The bar is operated by Mr Bashment, in partnership with Shebada, who both believe they are entitled to 50 per cent of the money for safeguarding it. Ironically, Constable Shebada seeks to use his portion to buy his freedom, after being charged with murder.

The $12 million, originally owned by rogue Half-a-Dog (Junior Williams) falls into the hands of Mr Bashment after a successful fraud trap by Bad Boy Trevor.

A now-deported Half-A-Dog, bent on reclaiming his spoils, chooses the dim-witted bargirl Babalita (Abigail Grant) as his main tool, but is unaware that he is being set up by her and jail rat, Bad Boy Trevor. Without the quick-minded Constable, Babalita would have been the sole beneficiary.

'yardie' romance

All the characters are engaged in 'yardie' romance, but discussing the Jamaican interpretation of love is done by Counsel Bertram (Volier Johnson) and his wife, Gloria (Deon Silvera). The treacherous, but pompous lawyer spends time dodging his "beloved wife", who tries to serve him divorce papers, and he eventually wins her heart in a surprise twist.

Reid creates high drama and sets up the characters to effortlessly assume their roles under Michael Nicholson's directorship, who keeps the play sharply modern and in line with Reid's original idea.

The few foul-ups included the repeat reference to Babalita as 'granddaughter' by Maxwell, who doubles as Mr Bashment and Portia Piller. Luckily, Half-a-Dog did not pick up on this in his hunt.

More attention could be paid to consistency in costuming and make-up. Mr Bashment was too bashy to wear one outfit more than once, and at few times Barbalita appeared too sloppy for a bargirl.

However, the clever incorporation of the audience as guests in 'Re-opening', perhaps the best scene, along with Shebada's unforgettable dancing moves, would suffice to compensate.

High notes included good diction and high-quality technology by John Isaacs. It was also impressive how Jamaicans' way of poking fun without appearing sarcastic was borne out, for example, Shebada's reference to Counsellor Betram going through MENopause, being a man with no backbone.

The play is a must-see, as even with little emphasis on the plot being an actual continuation of Bashment Granny (from 2006), the raw talent of the actors makes it well-delivered entertainment, lacking nothing.