Live Theatre Newcastle – until 10th October 2026
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
All at Sea is a currently being performed at Live Theatre, it is written by Alison Carr and is loosely based on the true story of a man from the North East of England who faked his own death, pretending to drown in the North Sea from a canoeing accident. Whilst the play draws on elements from the original incident it does not set out to follow the true story exactly, but instead adds aspects of fiction to the original event. Alison Carr is keen to point out that this play is not a documentary.
The setting for the action is a comfortable, modern living room where we meet the two characters, Colin, played by Phil Corbett, and his wife Deborah, played by Sarah Belcher. The audience learn that spiralling debts and a huge mortgage are the motives for the plan hatched by Colin to fake his own death; meanwhile Deborah seems to have no option but to go along with this ludicrous plan.
After pretending to drown, Colin helps his wife to plan a memorial service for him and at this point we learn that even Colin’s adult children are tricked into believing that he has drowned. Colin then devises an ingenious way of hiding in the house, just in case any visitors, or the police, arrive unexpectedly. As the repercussions of the plan gradually emerge it becomes clear that staying in the house for several years, claiming life insurance and convincing people that you are dead, are not quite as straightforward as Colin first thought it would be! He learns for example that a missing person cannot be assumed dead until after seven years have passed from the date of their disappearance and therefore any money owing to their next of kin is not automatically paid.
Throughout this performance there is some high drama, including a very “interesting” ending which I did not expect. As the tension and stress builds from this strange situation , a mix of emotions from both Colin and Deborah, are acted out on stage, with a fair amount of screaming and shouting from both actors from time to time. Despite the rather dark subject matter and the anxiety experienced by Deborah, there are comedic elements which are often provided by the foolishness of Colin’s flawed plan and the deluded thoughts he has. The inclusion of a karaoke routine definitely provides a touch of humour as does Colin’s plan to buy a ranch in Arizona! There are also elements of tension within the relationship which is no surprise being as it is Deborah who has no other option but to go along with Colin’s crazy plan and it is Deborah who has to deal with the stress of facing the world whilst pretending to be a widow.
This play definitely gives an interesting take on this true story as we can only imagine the conversations that took place within the real Colin and Deborah household.