‘strong all-round performances from a talented cast’
Written and directed by Alex King, Old Fruit Jar Productions first original production draws upon a true story as it explores the moral conundrum of what is right and wrong in a world blurred by the need to maintain law and order at all costs.
US Private Eddie Slovik (Jamie Peacock) has been sentenced to death for desertion, and the story centres on his defending officer, Captain Woods (Josh Ennis), who attempts to convince his fellow officers including opposing counsel, Captain Green (Lew Freeburn), commanding officer Maj. General Cota (Luke Seddon), and Colonel Sommer (Daniel Hird), that the punishment is not reflective of the facts. With a religious slant offered by Cpt. Father Cummings (James Dorman) and the voice of the common solider presented by Private Williams (Jordan Barkley), the complexity twists and turns leaving one to question where the truth lies in any of it.
The brick barrel-vaulted location lends itself to the sense of claustrophobic foreboding with the atmosphere further heightened by Phil Dickinson’s subdued lighting effects and muffled sounds of distant explosion firmly planting us in the makeshift command centre amid the unimaginable reality of war, with the added touch of an original score by Florence King.
There are strong all-round performances from a talented cast with Ennis’ sincere intensity offset by Freeburn’s misguided patriotism, whilst Hird’s balanced considerations are starkly at odds with Seddon’s impassioned rage. Dorman subtly reflected the contradiction of religion and war, whilst Barkley evoked our sympathy as the pawn being moved about by all the others. Impressive as they all were, Peacock’s powerful and passionate performance was literally scene stealing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see the development of this play over the last nine months from words on a page through an opening scene scratch to tonight’s full-length performance via an abridged festival version last summer. At ninety minutes in length, there is rightly no interval to disrupt the momentum of this emotional rollercoaster which flew by in an instant.
There are a lot of facts to this story and backstory which are partly touched upon here although King has clearly chosen to pursue a particular stance as his rightful prerogative as writer. The period is well captured, as are its values and ethics, particularly in a time of war, although the passage of time during the play is perhaps less obvious but necessary to understand the rising tensions.
The characters of Captain Woods is well developed and we gain a better appreciation of Colonel Sommer during their later private exchanges. Captain Green is the natural foil to Woods, and I would like to see that better developed; similarly, Cota needs to be more of his time, particularly at the conclusion. Cummings is a fascinating character that demands further exploration; I was uncomfortable with some of his confessional reveals. Williams performs a perhaps too pivotal role later on without us seeing enough of his development during the play.
It is always important when looking back in time to avoid applying current day knowledge and opinion to it. Here, the language and action flow well and avoid that pitfall, until the last twenty minutes or so when perhaps allusions to current affairs takes over and somewhat ironically, it felt as if we were being told what was right and wrong in a very modern context: sometimes we don’t need to close the circle, silence and space for the audience to reflect can be more impactful.
Old Fruit Jar Productions is a North-West based production company which thrives on telling stories and producing high-quality theatre, film, and other creative work in the most imaginative, engaging, and thought-provoking ways. Further details https://oldfruitjarproductions.co.uk/
53two is an arts charity, theatre and cafe/bar, for artists, by artists, located in the heart of Manchester. Further details https://www.53two.com/
The Execution of Private Slovik plays at 53Two until Saturday 24th January with tickets available at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/53two/the-execution-of-private-slovik/e-mqyekr
Review Date: 22nd January 2026
Star Rating: FOUR