Adapted by Eric Simonson, Slaughterhouse-Five brings Kurt Vonnegut’s celebrated 1969 sci-fi and anti-war novel to the London fringe.
Billy Pilgrim is stuck in a timeloop, where his past, present and future can be accessed at any time, but out of his control. He has been abducted by aliens and survived the obliteration of Dresden.
He is the everyman character for philosophical thought and moral discernment. Through his eyes, we move from the depression era to the mid-70s, through conflict, romance and science fiction.
This production relies heavily on video projection, with most scenes taking place behind a screen. Actual props are few – a couple of desks, a typewriter, and suitcases. The video adds characters, creates letters and sets, and offers commentary on what is happening in the world(s) Billy inhabits.
Despite some horrific situations being seen and described, this is a black comedy that shows the futility of trying to seek a peaceful world by sending young men to war. Could it be funnier? Of course, but this is the kind of show that will respond to how audiences react.
The novel and play are subtitled ‘the children’s crusade’, referencing the children of the 13th century shipped to be slaves in North Africa under the guise of a religious pilgrimage to Palestine.
So It Goes Theatre brings their production into the Southwark Playhouse Little with Douglas Baker as director and video designer, and a four-person cast. Patrick McAndrew is an effective blank page as Billy, who experiences everything in a relaxed state.
Multiple roles are filled by Alex Crook, Ethan Reid, and Sofia Engstrand, who embrace Vonnegut’s recurring themes of ‘why me’, ‘change’ and Darwinism. In the alien world, which displays Billy as a zoo exhibit, death is simply a construct, and information can be consumed in bulk.
This play has no beginning, middle or end, no linear narrative. It tackles a book that has been regularly banned and mired in controversy, turning it into a deeply challenging stage piece.
It may be a little bit too long – I felt a natural closing point crept up on at least two occasions before the show continued. However, it is extremely inventive and tackles a book which might seem impossible to adapt.
The 1972 film version decided to ramp up the comedy element, but kept most of the book’s ideas. Vonnegut himself loved it, and it benefited from a Glenn Gould score that enhanced the general oddness of the piece.
I can see him nodding in approval at this stage version, too, especially its casual uneasiness as it references trigger-happy administrations, political social media drives, and slow demonisation of those who serve.
As performances go, Engstrand is particularly strong in four key roles: Billy’s mother, wife, daughter, and his superior officer in Germany. Crook and Reid play up the humour and absurdity of the situations at home and abroad.
McAndrew’s Billy is never in a state of panic and reads more catatonic than charismatic, which fits the role perfectly, whether he is being bullied in the army or falling for a blue movie actress in a far-away universe.
I’m giving this a 3.5 rating. It is a brave endeavour from a difficult source and certainly left me thinking about it later.
Slaughterhouse-Five continues at Southwark Playhouse until 4 Jul – details here.
Photo credit: Henry Hu