It is a formidable task to adapt Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece Slaughterhouse-Five (or The Children’s Crusade) for the stage. How do you translate a non-linear, deeply satirical, anti-war sci-fi text—where the protagonist is famously “unstuck in time”—into a physical, limited playing space? So It Goes Theatre answers this challenge with absolute virtuosity bringing this dizzying blend of trauma, sci-fi eccentricity, and fierce anti-war sentiment on stage at Southwark Playhouse Borough this summer.
Following a completely sold-out premiere at the Brockley Jack Theatre in 2024, this critically acclaimed and double Offie Award winning stage adaptation of the anti-war sci-fi twentieth century classic tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” after he is abducted by aliens.
A masterclass in staging the impossible
Running in ‘The Little’ at Southwark Playhouse Borough, director Douglas Baker’s production is a hyper-creative, absorbing, and remarkably poignant piece of fringe theatre that keeps you hooked from its opening seconds and doesn’t let go.
Rather than moving chronologically, the play somersaults back and forth through the phases of Billy’s bizarre life (played with wonderful, quiet bewilderment by Patrick McAndrew).
One minute he is a shivering prisoner of war witnessing the apocalyptic 1945 firebombing of Dresden; the next, he is a comfortably in his post-war life as a suburban optometrist in 1960s, before snapping instantly into a geodesic dome zoo exhibit on the planet Tralfamadore, paired with a Hollywood starlet.
This production makes great use of inventive staging techniques to unscramble this complicated story with expert use of a transparent screen that helps create a parallel visual dimensions where toy-soldier silhouette Nazis, year indicators, and eerie alien projections could seamlessly coexist.
Rather than acting as a superficial backdrop, the projections actively interact with the multi-rolling cast (featuring standout, highly physical performances from Sofia Engstrand, Ethan Reid, and Alex Crook). Projections create props out of thin air, translate German dialogue in real-time, and perfectly capture the out of this world isolation of alien abduction. Combined with Laurel Marks’ atmospheric lighting and the soundscape by Calum Perrin and Benji Tranter, the technical execution is flawless, evoking both the stark horror of the twentieth century mental damage of war and the absurd comedy of the sci-fi elements.
“Slaughterhouse-Five is a story about many things,” Baker explains. “In looking at World War II through the lens of the bombing of Dresden, which was caused by the Allies that we usually see on the ‘right’ side of history, it underlines the absurdity of war, which feels incredibly relevant as more and more conflict breaks out around the world.”
The metaphor of fractured time hopping
While the Tralfamadorian abduction provides the sci-fi engine, the emotional weight of the play lies in how it handles human fracturing. Vonnegut himself was a survivor of the Dresden firebombing, and his classic wry, fatalistic refrain—“So it goes”—hangs heavily over the story.
“Billy’s time-hopping ability could be seen as a metaphor for his PTSD, how his past comes to haunt his present,” says Baker. “But it also has plenty of humour, in Vonnegut’s classic wry style, showing how weird and wonderful and bizarre our world really is.”
To pull off this theatrical tightrope act, the production relies on a tightly knit ensemble of just four actors who effortlessly manipulate dozens of roles. Patrick McAndrew anchors the madness as Billy Pilgrim, capturing the quiet, shell-shocked dispassion of a man trapped as a passive spectator in his own timeline.
Surrounding McAndrew is a chameleonic three-piece ensemble features Alex Crook (House of the Dragon), Sofia Engstrand (News Revue), and Ethan Reid (Baldur’s Gate III). Together, they shift shapes instantly—morphing from high-ranking military officials to unhinged prisoners of war and sci-fi eccentrics—acting as the chaotic architects of Billy’s fractured memory.
Fusing bite-sized satire, immersive soundscapes by Calum Perrin, and stunning visual design, Slaughterhouse-Five is a desperate, beautifully poignant plea against the destruction of human life. It is experimental fringe theatre at its absolute best: ambitious, absorbing, deeply funny, and devastating.
Slaughterhouse-Five is at Southwark Playhouse Borough (The Little) until 4 July. Tickets from £22. Recommended age 15+
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