The Execution of Private Slovik – 53two

It is well known that, in response to potential harm, the human body can go into fight-or-flight mode. It is a physiological survival mechanism, and some people choose to face the danger, whilst others will run away.

This play concerns the true story of Private Eddie Slovik (Jamie Peacock), who was the only American soldier to be executed for desertion in the Second World War. Indeed, he was the first to face that punishment since the American Civil War.

We are presented with a moral dilemma. Do we see Slovik as a flawed man, with a difficult upbringing, who froze at the vital moment and wanted, like many would in the middle of a war, simply to run away and back to his sick wife? Or do we see him as a cog in an army machine that should simply obey orders for the good of the nation? Where would they be if every soldier ran away?

As the play begins, Slovik has already been sentenced to death, but Captain Woods (Josh Ennis) wants to relitigate the case, hoping he will be able to convince his superiors to save the man’s life. He has gathered Captain Green (Lew Freeburn), Lt. Colonel Sommer (Daniel Hird) and Major General Cota (Luke Seddon) to hear his case.

Green is convinced that Slovik is a deserter and that he deserves his punishment. There is a danger in morality plays that characters can become merely the arguments they espouse, lacking any depth beyond that. Freeburn managed to give what could have been a one-note character intensity and drive.

The standout scene of the play is between Slovik and Captain Father Cummings (James Dorman). Dorman was impressive throughout the play, giving his character a dry wit, steely intelligence and admirable composure. Ironically, for a man of God, he understood you had to deal with the world as it was, not how you would like it to be.

Peacock, as Slovik, brought out the play’s central tension. In his cowardice, he shows bravery. Were the cowards not those who have sentenced him to death, rather than imprisonment, simply to instil fear in the other soldiers so they don’t desert? In the scene, he is self-piteous and cynical, but also shows compassion and feels guilt not just for himself but for those who are going to have to shoot him.

The firing squad was represented by Private Williams (Jordan Barkley), and he showed the torment and anguish they must have felt being forced to kill one of their own. Ultimately, they had to follow orders and do just that.

This scene between the deserter and the clergyman is electrifying theatre and stays, just about, on the right side of melodrama. It is exquisitely written and superbly acted by Peacock and Dorman. We suddenly see a misunderstood, condemned man shouting into the void, knowing no one will hear him.

Ennis, as Slovik’s defender, Woods, was full of passion and righteous indignation. He quotes the Merchant of Venice, “In the course of justice none of us should see salvation.” Woods is the moral heart of the play, and Ennis makes him a brave and ardent fighter for his cause.

Director and writer Alex King admirably builds up the dramatic tension as we see men who have found themselves in the wrong situation, plunged outside the lives they wanted to lead. It is a shame that, towards the end, Green and Woods have a nativist argument about who is a true American. This debate doesn’t really fit with the rest of the play, and the intensity fell out during that part before it ratcheted up again in the final scene.

In Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, people try to get out of the war by pretending to be mad. The madness of war, its irrationality and fanaticism are beautifully exposed by this excellent play, which is well worth seeing.

It continues at 53Two until Saturday 24th January – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/53two/e-mqyekr

Reviewer: Adam Williams

Reviewed: 22nd January 2026

North West End UK Rating: