De Menezes Play
A brand new play ‘Oh Well Never Mind Bye’ will run at the Union Theatre in Southwark from the 16th of June until the 4th of July. It promises to attract a lot of attention and possibly controversy as it is about the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes who was shot at Stockwell by the Metropolitan Police in 2005.
The play is written by Stephen Lally and produced by Upstart Theatre.
De Menezes has become something of a cause celebre. The ‘7/7’ terrorist bombing had recently occurred and de Menezes was mistaken for a terrorist. Consequently, he was followed by the police from Brixton to Stockwell and was shot, at close range, in the head. An inquest into the shooting was concluded last December and recorded an open verdict as to whether the incident amounted to unlawful killing.
The play is based on research which includes interviews with members of the victim’s family, former employees of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and even senior police officers.
The play is set in fictional newspaper offices over the period of the shooting. The production has the full support of the Justice4Jean Campaign, founded by members of the de Menezes family. There will be a post-show discussion on press night, July the 18th.
It looks set to be a success and early booking of your theatre tickets is advised.