Reprieve at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre: A little light relief
15.06.06
Fiona Bawdon reports from Reprieve’s highly successful first-ever music & comedy benefit night at London’s Globe Theatre
‘‘Look around the room and catch the eye of a stranger. Say to that person, “Hi! It’s great to be alive!”,’ gushed stand-up comedian Stephen K Amos at the outset of Reprieve’s fundraising evening at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.
Mr Amos - compere for the night - may have been being deliberately cheesy, but there was at least one person there with more cause than most to agree with that sentiment: Nick Yarris, who spent 23 years on death row before being exonerated. Since his release, Yarris, who acts as a Reprieve spokesperson, has rebuilt his life and now lives in England.
The Globe event, held in early summer, was Reprieve’s first such fundraiser. It included a diverse line-up of comedians and musicians with one thing in common, opposition to the death penalty. It was a moving, funny and thought-provoking evening - all the more remarkable given that it was organised from start to finish by Reprieve staff and volunteers in little over three months. The Evening Standard newspaper’s subsequent review gave it 4/5 stars.
Headlining was country legend Steve Earle, whose songs included his 1988 single, ‘My Old Friend the Blues’, and a duet with his wife, country singer Allison Moorer.
Mr Earle is a long-standing campaigner against the death penalty, which he described as ‘an unspeakable act’. He revealed that he once witnessed an execution, at the request of the man who was to die. Mr Earle had, he said, regretted it ever since and had ‘never completely recovered from’ being exposed to such brutality.
Steve Earle
© Andy Bradshaw 2006
Allison Moorer also performed a solo set, which included her version of the soul classic ‘A Change is Gonna Come’. It was the second time the audience heard that particular song played that night. The original by Sam Cooke was chosen by death row exoneree Shareef Cousin as his favourite song. Cousin’s selection was one 14 tracks played during the course of the evening which had been chosen by those currently or previously facing execution. Other songs played selected by prisoners included Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Free Bird’; Joss Stone’s ‘Right to be Wrong’; and Frankie Beverly’s ‘Happy Feelings’.
Allison Moorer
© Andy Bradshaw 2006
During their set, The Proclaimers dedicated ‘Sunshine on Leith’ to Kenny Richey, currently on death row in Ohio (‘Hopefully, one day soon, he’ll be free’). The Scottish duo’s set - which would have raised the roof if the Globe weren’t an open air theatre, - included favourites like ‘Letter from America’; ‘I’m on my way’; ‘Scotland’s Story’ and ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)’.
The Proclaimers
© Andy Bradshaw 2006
The other musicians who also gave their time free to perform at the event were Dire Straits founder David Knopfler and his regular collaborator Harry Bogdanovs, who were joined by Scottish folk singer Karine Polwart.
Karine Polwart, David Knopfler, and Harry Bogdonavs
©Andy Bradshaw 2006
Reprieve legal director Clive Stafford Smith - who had returned from one of his regular trips to Guantanamo Bay the morning of the event - spoke about the role of music in providing solace to those on death row, and inspiration to their lawyers. ‘Musicians have a lot more influence than lawyers when it comes to saving people’s lives,’ he said. ‘Every time I’m doing on a death penalty case, I pick one song and play it over and over again.’ He also talked about the ‘remarkable capacity for humour’ of death row clients. ’
Comedians on the bill at the Globe included the activist and human rights campaigner Mark Thomas; Kevin Eldon; and Stewart Lee.
Mr Thomas revealed that his activism had once led him and four mates to chain themselves to the underside of an arms dealer’s car. When a police officer inquired who was the ringleader of the protest, all four yelled out: ‘I’m Spartacus!’
Mark Thomas
© Andy Bradshaw 2006
Stand-up comedian Stewart Lee had just finished irreverently warning the audience that, by attending the event they’d be considered subversives and should expect a degree of surveillance when the sound of a passing police helicopter could be heard overhead.
Stewart Lee
© Andy Bradshaw 2006
Kevin Eldon appeared as his alter ego poet Paul Hamilton performing works from his ‘Shadows Of Reflections: A Vision Of Words’ collection. He reassured the audience of the strength of his opposition to the death penalty: ‘Those who advocate capital punishment should be strung up...’
Kevin Eldon
©Andy Bradshaw 2006
Nick Yarris
©Andy Bradshaw 2006
For many in the audience, the highlight of the night was hearing from the former prisoner Nick Yarris. Yarris told the Globe audience that he ended up on death row after a chain of events that began with being stopped for a traffic violation. After more than two decades in solitary confinement (‘locked in a room no larger than most people’s bathroom’) he finally ‘got [his] life back’ in 2004, when DNA evidence proved his innocence. He now lives in England with his wife and new- born daughter, Lara.
'My story is an example of what goes wrong when governments believe they have the right to kill people’, he said.
Reprieve would like to thank the Globe, lastminute.com and all the performers who donated their time. A similar event is planned for next year. More details will be published in due course.
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