Gallows Humour: Stand Up For Reprieve At The Bloomsbury Theatre on 23 May 2007
22.06.07
By Fiona Bawdon
People in power don’t care if you hate them, Reprieve legal director Clive Stafford Smith told the capacity audience at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre. The likes of George Bush and others see that as a badge of honour. But what they really don’t like is if you laugh at them, he said.
If so, establishment figures would have been pretty narked by Reprieve’s sell-out evening of Gallows Humour, held on a sweltering evening in May.
Clive Stafford Smith © Andy Bradshaw
 
Mark Thomas © Andy Bradshaw Robin Ince © Andy Bradshaw
 
Mark Steel © Andy Bradshaw Simon Munnary © Andy Bradshaw
The line up of talent perfoming to support Reprieve’s work included some of the best known names from the world of comedy: Bill Bailey, Mark Thomas, Mark Steel, Kevin Eldon, Simon Munnery and Robin Ince.
It also included stand-up comedian Shappi Khorsandi, who fled her native Iran after her father was sentenced to death for writing a satirical poem. ‘If you really want trouble,’ she said, ‘try going to America on an Iranian passport. I could lend you one of mine; I’ve got loads!’ Shappi Khorsandi © Andy Bradshaw
Shappi added: ‘A lot of Americans don’t know the difference between Iran and Iraq. I always explain to them, “No. We’re the ones with weapons of mass destruction...”.’
The evening was, in turn, hilarious and deathly serious. Reprieve spokesman Nick Yarris - who now lives in England with his wife and baby daughter - spoke movingly about his 23 years on death row in the US. Clive Stafford Smith told how even prisoners facing death often manage to retain their humanity and dignity Nick Yarris © Andy Bradshaw
using humour.
Comedian Kevin Eldon, appearing as his alter ego poet Paul Hamilton, read works from his ‘Shadows of Reflections: A vision of Words’ collection. ‘The consequences of the death penalty can impact on people for the rest of their lives,’ he deadpanned.
After giving up on trying to improvise a poem based around themes called out by the audience - the colour red; a zebra and a sub-atomic particle - Kevin added: ‘People often ask me what kind of poet I am. I always say, shit;.....that’s a really hard question.’ Kevin Eldon © Andy Bradshaw
The musical interlude was provided by the ever versatile comedian Bill Bailey. Bill performed variously, his version of Dutch hiphop; a jazz-funk version of the music to East Enders; the Darth Vader theme music (‘Da Da Da - Da De-Da) ‘with the scariness taken out’; and the okey cokey, as performed by Kraftwerk.
The evening climaxed with a roof-raising set by Bill Bailey’s punk tribute band, Beergut 100, who thrashed their way through songs by everyone from the Clash to the Specials. Bill Bailey © Andy Bradshaw
Beergut 100: Martin Trenaman, Phil Whelans, Bill Bailey, Kevin Eldon, Jim Miller and Christian Reilly
© Andy Bradshaw
The Bloomsbury © Andy Bradshaw
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