Grenfell: in the words of survivors review
Based on interviews with survivors of the fire, this ‘gripping’ play uncovers the failures that caused it
A “masterpiece of forensic fury”, said Mark Lawson in The Guardian, this “verbatim” play is based on writer Gillian Slovo’s interviews with survivors of the 2017 Grenfell fire and the relatives of some of the 72 people who died in the tower block, excerpts from the public inquiry transcripts, and previous interviews. Staged with stark simplicity and exemplary control, it “piles up devastating detail” and “shockingly lays bare the abject failures” that led to the disaster.
What comes across most strongly, said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph, is that the people who lived in the tower block “were viewed before, during and after the event as second-class citizens, their ethnicity and financial status held against them”.
I was worried that the play would be an exercise in “misery tourism”, or feel more like a “show of solidarity than meaningful art”, said Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out. In fact, it’s a theatrical “tour de force”. The first half is a “meticulous documentary-style explainer”, focusing on the “bargain basement” renovation of the block in 2015-16, and the fitting of the combustible cladding that let the fire spread. The second half details the survivors’ experiences of the blaze, intercut with the testimony of firefighters at the scene. I hope it’s not disrespectful to say that the upshot is a play that is at once “horrifying” and “edge-of-seat gripping”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The piece is performed by its ensemble cast with a “quietly furious intensity”, said Nick Curtis in the Evening Standard. Slovo gradually shows how “deregulation, cost-cutting and commercial chicanery” made the disaster almost inevitable. She suggests that “these practices are embedded in the society we’ve built: we are all to blame”. This is a “heartfelt and important” piece, so it is a shame that it ends a bit awkwardly. Screening interviews with the people we’ve just watched being played by actors on stage slightly “undermines the point of making a play”. Then a final “moment of communion” between audience and actors “feels organised rather than organic”. Nevertheless, it is still “very moving”.
National Theatre, Dorfman, London SE1 (020-3989 5455). Until 26 August; nationaltheatre.org.uk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 picturesque homes in Arizona
Feature Featuring a glass elevator in Sedona and a grotto waterfall in Paradise Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Baffin Island: looking for narwhal in Arctic Canada
The Week Recommends An exploration of this island between mainland Canada and Greenland is ideal for the adventurous at heart
By The Week UK Published
-
Knife: Salman Rushdie's 'mesmeric memoir' of brutal attack
The Week Recommends The author's account of ordeal which cost him his eye is both 'scary and heartwarming'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes for car lovers
Feature Featuring a 14-car showroom in Oregon and a Bentley-style apartment in Florida
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published