Tabernacle, London
Verbatim reconstruction of the inquiry into the 2017 disaster points up the horrifying, amoral capitalism that fuelled it
Grenfell Tower housed many of the “have-nots” in a borough of great and conspicuous wealth, as we know from news analysis. The Tabernacle theatre, less than a mile away from the site of the fire in June 2017, sits squarely at the swanky end. This proximity carries a heavy symbolism in the staging of Guardian journalist Richard Norton-Taylor’s verbatim play, directed by Nicolas Kent, which summarises the ongoing Grenfell Tower inquiry, and it feels both pointed and discomforting.
Leslie Thomas QC (Derek Elroy), representing the bereaved, survivors and residents’ group, connects the gulf between rich and poor in the borough to a bigger social injustice. Grenfell, Thomas says, did not happen in a vacuum but was linked to race and poverty. This re-enactment also highlights the corporate machinations around the tower’s refurbishment – intent on driving down costs and amping up aesthetics – which played their part.
Value Engineering: Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry is at the Tabernacle theatre, London, until 13 November and then at Birmingham Rep from 16–20 November.
