REVIEW: KURT VONNEGUT’S SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE (OR THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE) at Jack Studio Theatre 3 – 19 October 2024

Photo credit: Davor @TheOcularCreative

‘This play is what theatre should be: ambitious, absorbing, funny, and poignant.’ ★★★★

It is never a bad time to reflect on the tragedy, brutality and senselessness of war. However, there are certain moments at which it feels particularly important to do so. Given the current state of the world, this is surely one of them. This adaptation of Vonnegut’s classic novel is a powerful reminder of the immeasurable pain and death inflicted by war. So it goes.

The play has a firecracker script. During the 95-minute runtime, we live all the many, varied lives of our protagonist Billy Pilgrim – from his time in Germany as a prisoner of war, to his marriage, to the tragic plane crash that he somehow survived, to his abduction by the Tralfamadorians (aliens who see the universe in four dimensions and look like giant hands). Many plays would settle for taking just one of these threads and spending two hours on it. Slaughterhouse-Five instead uses non-linear storytelling to unceasingly pull us from one moment in Billy’s life to the next (and back again). Like Billy, who has become ‘unstuck in time,’ we are at the mercy of a temperamental clock. The effect is overwhelmingly positive. The play is absolutely absorbing and the 95 minutes flew by. I suspect that even people who generally don’t enjoy theatre will like this production. On the flip side, the breakneck pace means that certain characters and plot points are lost in the mix. A couple of times, I found myself trying to work out who someone was in a scene. By the time I’d figured it out, we’d already jumped to another point in the timeline of Billy’s life.

Douglas Baker’s direction is commendable. The use of multimedia in theatre productions can go one of two ways: either it can become gimmicky, or it can create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. This production falls (very firmly) into the latter category. The production team have thought of every possible way to use sound and visuals to enhance their storytelling. Projected images transport us through a wide array of settings, create props, and even provide captions for German soldiers’ dialogue. Most magical were the moments when the actors interacted with the projected images – one very memorable moment was Pilgrim’s use of the toilet during his stay on Tralfamadore. The use of projection to create characters worked less well for me, but this is a minor complaint.

The actors all deserve praise for their work. The expansive nature of the play’s story means that they had to embody a plethora of characters between them. Their ability to distinguish between these different characters through accents, vocal quality and physicality was impressive. It went a long way to minimising the confusion inherent in the ever-shifting nature of the play. Ethan Reid’s turn as the brutal Paul Lazzaro was a particular highlight.

This play is what theatre should be: ambitious, absorbing, funny, and poignant. Whilst it doesn’t have the same level of nuance and depth as its source material, it brings the world and words of Vonnegut’s book to life and stands as a brilliant piece of art in its own right. I’d encourage everyone to see it.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (or the children’s crusade) adapted by Eric Simonson / So It Goes Theatre / Jack Studio Theatre / 3 – 19 October

https://brockleyjack.co.uk/jackstudio-entry/kurt-vonneguts-slaughterhouse-five-or-the-childrens-crusade/

Reviewer Katie Walker-Cook is an actor and writer.