‘Policeman’s Ball’ on DVD, Blu-ray
The “Secret Policeman’s Ball” comedy and music productions for Amnesty International have been entertaining fans with shows, videos, TV programs and albums since the mid-1970s.
In 2012, the long-running British series staged a show outside London for the first time, bringing an all-star extravaganza to New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
It’s all captured on “The Secret Policeman’s Ball — USA,” a DVD ($20) and Blu-ray ($25) out Tuesday, Feb. 25, on Eagle Rock Entertainment.
The 137-minute show spotlights 50 U.S. and U.K. comics, including Jon Stewart, Ben Stiller, Eddie Izzard, Russell Brand, Sarah Silverman and John Oliver, as well as such “Saturday Night Live” stars as Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Bobby Moynihan, Kristen Wiig and Seth Meyers.
Coldplay and Mumford & Sons turn in live performances.
Liam Neeson, Tim Roth, Richard Branson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Burmese comedian and human-rights activist Zarganar pop up, as do Monty Python members Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones. Delivering snarky commentary are Beavis & Butthead and Muppets duo Statler & Waldorf.
Bonus material includes backstage interviews and a new Python skit, “The Python Legacy!,” written by Palin and series co-creator Martin Lewis and starring Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Kyra Sedgwick and Annette O’Toole.