Value Engineering

to see the very well reviewed “Value Engineering – Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry” – edited by Richard Norton-Taylor. 

It was a strange evening. The cast played the part of members of the Inquiry (chairman and counsel), many witnesses, expert and lay, and two barristers.  The words were verbatim from the transcript of the Inquiry.  The evening was strange in part because in the audience that evening, watching themselves and listening to their own words, were Richard Millett QC (senior counsel to the Inquiry) and our own Kate Grange QC (assistant counsel). There may have been others who were being portrayed on stage, but so far as I could see no sign of Sir Martin Moore-Bick.  The second reason it was strange was although the evidence in Phase 2 of the Inquiry has concluded (it ran from January 2020 to July 2021) the report is not expected until sometime in 2022. So here we all were listening to selections of the witness evidence, seeing some of the documents put before the witnesses for their comment and response, and inevitably forming our own views on responsibility for this appalling tragedy. The cover of the book of the text (available at the theatre, or from Methuen/Drama) explains sets out the author’s very clear position:

“The play shows how those involved in the refurbishment of the Tower conspired to cover up what they knew about the dangerous and life-threatening materials used to refurbish it.  It also reveals the incompetence and neglect of the local authority”

The audience was about half full, and there was the sound of muffled music from the live band in the bar below the theatre, but I was gripped from the opening words. The acting was uniformly excellent, with many powerful and deeply moving statements made by the actors.  Sitting in the row in front of me were two women who had clearly been following the Inquiry closely and may have been family or friends of those who perished. At the interval one woman, who had noticed that Richard Millett was in the audience, remarked that he looked “more attractive” (or words to that effect) when not wearing his formal business suit. But those were the only words of levity. At the end, after the final words taken from the opening statement of Michael Mansfield QC representing a Bereaved, Survivors and Residents (“BSR”) group, the two women were in tears, as was I. 

I give nothing away by saying that the play ends in silence, no applause, no bows from the actors, just a scrolling list on screen of the names of the 72 women, men and children who died in the fire.

This weekend brings the final performances at The Tabernacle, and then the play moves to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre where it will run from 16^th to 20^th November.  Catch it if you can. I hope it transfers back to London, and perhaps on to television.  By then, the Inquiry’s report is likely to have been published.  It may or may not agree with what this play was intended to show.

https://justice4grenfell.org/