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''A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick)'' is the title of the first show in what later became the '' Secret Policeman's Ball'' series of benefit shows for
human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
organization Amnesty International, although it pre-dated by three years the first show to bear that name. The film of the show was titled ''Pleasure at Her Majesty's'' which is sometimes mistakenly thought to be the title of the actual benefit show.


Background

The landmark 1976 show starring the Monty Python, '' Beyond the Fringe'', and
The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...
teams and other top British comedic performers of the 1960s and 1970s, led directly to the 1979 show ''
The Secret Policeman's Ball ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but lat ...
'' - which in turn triggered the involvement of major
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
stars such as Sting, Bono, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Geldof in working for the human rights cause. It set a precedent that would inspire many subsequent Amnesty
gala Gala may refer to: Music * ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush *'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman *GALA Choruses, an association of LGBT choral groups *''Gala'', a 1986 album by T ...
s, as well as
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
. The concept was also the inspiration of similar events in aid of Amnesty International in countries around the world. The show took place on Thursday, April 1, 1976, Friday, April 2, 1976, and Saturday, April 3, 1976 as a series of late-night galas at
Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
– a theatre in London's
West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...
district. The show was directed by ''Beyond the Fringe'' alumnus
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...
. The event was audio-recorded and an album featuring highlights of the three nights was released in November 1976 by
Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...
. The album had the same title as the show. The event was also the subject of a film shot by documentary-maker
Roger Graef Roger Arthur Graef OBE (18 April 1936 – 2 March 2022) was an American-born British documentary filmmaker and theatre director. Born in New York City, he moved to Britain in 1962, where he began a career producing documentary films investiga ...
that documented the rehearsals, backstage moments and show performances. The resulting film was titled ''Pleasure at Her Majesty's''. It premiered in November 1976 at the 20th annual
London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and sho ...
held at the
National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...
. The film was then screened on British television by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in December 1976. Subsequently, the film received a modest theatrical release at
arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...
cinemas in 1977. Though the show included sequences featuring the Monty Python, ''Beyond the Fringe'', and Goodies teams who were billed under their group names on the individual track listing of the resulting album — for the show itself, the album cover, and the cast listing on the film credits, the performers were listed under their individual names. The cast included: John Cleese,
Graham Chapman Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two P ...
, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam of Monty Python (with "Python girl" Carol Cleveland);
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...
, Peter Cook, and Alan Bennett of ''Beyond the Fringe''; Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, and Tim Brooke-Taylor of the Goodies. Solo performers included: John Fortune, John Bird (actor), John Bird, Eleanor Bron, Barry Humphries in character as Dame Edna Everage, Neil Innes, and mime artist Desmond Jones. The show consisted primarily of "greatest hits" of the various performers. Peter Cook and Alan Bennett performed iconic solo routines from their early 1960s revue ''Beyond the Fringe''. The Monty Python team performed several of their most famous skits including the Dead Parrot sketch, the Custard Pie (aka The Japes Lecture), and "The Lumberjack Song". The Goodies performed their hit single "The Funky Gibbon". Bird, Fortune, and Bron performed several of the routines they made famous in their appearances in the early 1960s at the satire, satirical nightclub The Establishment. The working title for the show was ''An Evening Without David Frost'' – a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the fact that David Frost was a common frame of reference for all the performers, most of whom had worked with him — or for him — early in their careers.


Pleasure at Her Majesty's

''Pleasure at Her Majesty's'' was the name given to the film release of ''A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick)'', the first of the Amnesty International comedy benefit galas. The show was performed at
Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
, London, and the title is a play on the phrase "at Her Majesty's pleasure". In United States, America, the film was originally called '' Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe''. The film consists of both on-stage and backstage footage, taken from all three nights of the run (1–3 April 1976). Co-founders of ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'', campaigner David Luff (campaigner), David Luff, and executive Martin Lewis (humorist), Martin Lewis, collaborated on producing the successor show — videotaped in 1977 as ''The Mermaid Frolics''. Then, Lewis and other co-founder John Cleese teamed up (with Amnesty's new fundraising director Peter Walker) in 1979 to create ''
The Secret Policeman's Ball ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but lat ...
'' — the first show to carry what became the iconic ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' title.


Sequence of skits in the film

# John Cleese, Michael Palin – Pet shop (aka the Dead Parrot sketch) # Alan Bennett – T. E. Lawrence # Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage – Spunk! # John Fortune, Eleanor Bron – Happy Darling # Peter Cook – Miner # Monty Python (guest appearance, Peter Cook) – Courtroom Sketch # John Fortune, John Bird (actor), John Bird – "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, You Say Potato" # Neil Innes – Protest Song # John Cleese, Jonathan Lynn – The Last Supper #
The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...
– "The Funky Gibbon" # Alan Bennett – Telegram # Desmond Jones – Hamlet (mime) # Peter Cook, John Fortune – Asp #
Graham Chapman Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two P ...
, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Bill Oddie, John Cleese – The Japes Lecture # Eleanor Bron – Appeal # Beyond the Fringe (guest appearance, Terry Jones) – So That's The Way You Like It (William Shakespeare, Shakespeare sketch) # Monty Python and the entire cast – "The Lumberjack Song" ''The above item titles do not appear anywhere in the film but are the titles ascribed to the skits and songs on the cast album released by
Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...
in 1976.''


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick), A Amnesty International Benefit concerts in the United Kingdom 1976 in London April 1976 events in the United Kingdom