'London's 9/11': Grenfell survivors take play to the streets of New York

Watch ITV News London's Rags Martel's report from New York.

Survivors and bereaved connected to the Grenfell tradgedy in West London have brought a play to East New York to discover how the Grenfell tragedy resonates in the US.

Grenfell: in the words of the survivors is stage production that has travelled from London to Brooklyn.

ITV News London joined survivors and those who have suffered loss from London to the Big Apple, following their personal journey.

The play ends on the street under the Brooklyn Bridge, where actors interact with US theatre-goers to hear what they think about the US company selling it's banned cladding to the UK market.

"We just want to say, I'm thinking of joining our community this evening," says one of the actors, as the curtain falls on the production.

The audience and actors move out of the theater and onto the street.

"Not only for the people of Grenfell, but every single person around the world who is being failed by the system. Thank you so much," the actor finishes.

Members of the audience across the pond feel the Grenfell story resonates in America, "Grenfell in its way, is London's 9/11 story. So of course it will resonate with New Yorkers,"

A different audience member said the play evoked similarities to other injustices in America, "Michigan, Flint, Michigan, yeah, there's no still clean water. And that was, what, 15 years now?

"Everyone can relate to this in one way or another, New Yorkers can certainly relate after 9/11 and other things. So it's just like a real wake up call."

The documentary play about Grenfell is opening at New York's St Ann's Warehouse theatre. Grenfell, in the words of survivors, tells the story of the fire before, during and after the tragedy that killed 72 people.

It first opened last year at the National Theatre and its transferred to Brooklyn exposes the same safety failures and absence of any criminal convictions seven years on.

Behind the curtain in Grenfell tragedy is an American company, Arconic. The makers of the deadly cladding that cover the tower and help spread the fire and their headquarters are situated in New York's neighboring state of Pennsylvania.

Jumaane Williams is a New York politician invited to watch the Grenfell play and talk about the tragedy.

He believes more Americans should know about Arconic and the dangerous cladding they sold.

"I mean, it's disgusting. They very clearly decided to sell it in markets that they knew they could, even though they knew that was dangerous.

There should be penalties for that, and I think if the U.S. is really an ally, they would do something about it.

There has to be pressure put on companies who kill folks," he said.

Chris Ivey is an activist filmmaker who lives in Pittsburgh, home to Arconic headquarters.

"It's frustrating for me knowing that they felt safe being in Pittsburgh by doing all this harm in the U.K., you know, I think is horrible.

"And they always talk about it, it's always about profit over people."

New York is a city of tall towers, but none had arconic cladding.

It was deemed too dangerous to sell in America, something not lost on playwright Gillian Slovo, "our government didn't stop them from selling it to us either.

"I do think it is very important that people here also realise the effect an American company is having on other countries and other people's lives," she said.

The play is a critical hit in New York, getting rave reviews as well as celebrity endorsements. Sarah Jessica Parker watched the performance and called it "monumental" and said that "the tragedy should never be forgotten," on social media.

Also in New York, one of the real players in this tragedy is Edward Daffarn, who escaped from the 16th floor of the tower.

He said, "my main hope from this visit with the play is that we will have reached an American audience who now understands that although Grenfell happened a long way away, actually, some of the causes of Grenfell started right here in their own backyards."

In the Grenfell stage version, he's played by the actor Michael Shaeffer, who told ITV News London, "there is a hope that by making this kind of an international conversation, if you like, the shame that should be there for the British government is heightened because this story is now being told across the pond."

"It's being told in the Big Apple. So hopefully that means that the stink is louder."

The production is making the right noises stateside, but almost seven years have passed since the fire, and like the play, the Grenfell story is one that's still waiting for its justice.

A spokesperson for Arconic said: "Since this tragedy occurred, our thoughts have been, and remain with those who lost their lives, the survivors, and their families. As we await the publication of the report following the latest phase of the Inquiry it would not be appropriate to add further comment.”

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