Trafalgar Studios, London – until 26 June 2017
“We could see this was a bad one immediately. The sky was glowing.”
Touted as an evening of song, dance and poetry, Songs and Solidarity was a remarkable event indeed. A fundraising gala evening pulled together in the space of a week by the superhuman efforts of actor Giles Terera and producer Danielle Tarento, it was a concert for the hundreds of families made homeless and the relatives of those who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire. Hosted by Claire Sweeney, musically directed by the enormously talented Tim Sutton.
The balance of the programme was just right too. From pure musical loveliness like the gentle harmonies of Tyrone Huntley and Jon Robyns on Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ and the simplicity of Rachel Tucker’s acapella take on ‘She Moved Through The Fair’, to the more intense emotion of Terera’s own ‘Ol’ Man River’ and a visibly moved Clare Foster’s ‘Don’t Worry About Me’ (a song with which I wasn’t familiar but rather destroyed me). From the much-needed comic relief of Stiles & Drewe skipping through ‘A Little Bit of Nothing On A Big White Plate’ to the soul-warming ‘Indiscriminate Acts Of Kindness’ performed by the ever excellent Julie Atherton.
The more stirring emotional moments came from those performers talking about their more personal connection to the tragedy. Musician Earl Okin spoke movingly about living in the shadow of the tower itself before a stunning version of Billie Holiday’s ‘God Bless The Child’, polymath Rikki Beadle-Blair turned his experience of being evicted from his own tower block into something akin to performance art before an impassioned ‘Change Is Gonna Come’, Mark Thomas had us in tears of laughter with his comedy set before expertly twisting the knife with his fervent defence of public servants, particularly the firefighters whom he had visited just to say thank you.
Musical numbers were interspersed with powerful extracts of verbatim testimony from some of the survivors of the fire, read by the likes of Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rakhee Thakrar and Vikesh Bhai, even Dame Judi Dench got in on the action with a recording. But for me, the most memorable part of the evening came with Noma Dumezweni’s recital of this Facebook post from a firefighter who attended Grenfell. Gently asking us to close our eyes and to consider this a radio play, it was a sobering reminder of exactly what we ask of our much beleaguered emergency services and of the scale of the tragedy which should not, can not, must not be forgotten.
It was also instructive and inspirational to hear from Eartha Pond, the Queens Park councillor who set up this GoFundMe page to help provide a focal point for support and whose tireless efforts on the ground to help those affected by the fire are being fitted around the responsibilities of her day job. In the words of Heather Small, a surprise addition to the bill, ‘what have you done today to make yourself feel proud?’ Well, you can still donate money and if you are quick, you can also still participate in the silent auction (entries close on Friday 30th).
Programme: Had I A Golden Thread – Alexia KhadimeTotal Praise – West End Gospel ChoirWe’ve Lost Everything – Vikesh BhaiTrue Colors – Tyrone Huntley and Jon RobynsI Said Listen, We Have To Go Back – Nikki Amuka-BirdNatural Woman – Cassidy JansonExtract from The Hotel Cerise and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou – Bonnie Greer God Bless The Child – Earl OkinYour Face – The Olai Collier Company feat. Caitlin Taylor and Ayden MorganMark ThomasChange Is Gonna Come – Rikki Beadle-Blair, accompanied by Jami Reid QuarrellOl’ Man River – Giles TereraShe Moved Through The Fair – Rachel TuckerWind Beneath My Wings – Rachel Tucker
A Little Bit of Nothing On A Big White Plate – Stiles & DreweOne Thing I’ll Say, I’m Proud Of The Young People – Rakhee ThakrarDon’t Worry About Me – Clare FosterIt’s Not About Muslim Or Christian – Nikki Amuka-BirdRedemption Song – Tyrone HuntleyIndiscriminate Acts Of Kindness – Julie Atherton, accompanied by Curtis VolpThe Fire Fighter – Noma DumezweniLife Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries – Claire SweeneySweet Thing – David McAlmont accompanied by Curtis SlapperProud – Heather SmallYou’ve Got A Friend – Cassidy Janson and Company
