Live Theatre Newcastle – until Saturday 18th April 2026
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
Boiler Room Six is written by Tom Foreman and is a one hour solo performance by Charlie Sheepshanks. The play, which uses a narrative format, gives an interesting and quite different perspective on the story of the sinking of the Titanic. It is based on the true story of evidence given to an inquiry by a stoker called Frederick Barrett. Frederick was a stoker in charge of boiler room six on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
The story begins with a detailed description of how the men in the boiler room worked in teams to shovel coal into the boilers of the Titanic, thereby making sure that the engines of this mighty ship were kept turning throughout the voyage. Throughout the play, Charlie plays the main character of Frederick but he also seems to effortlessly change his voice and mannerisms to take on several other parts; these include other stokers, an engineer and a young 17 year old called Arthur. We learn that Arthur lied about his age in order to be employed and has no experience whatsoever which results in a nasty injury. This range of characters, included in the narrative, gives the audience a flavour of the personalities and experiences of the men working below deck.
As the realisation dawns that this mighty “unsinkable” ship is in fact sinking, the dreadful experiences of the stokers continues to be the main emphasis of this play. The chaos, distress and loss of life are all narrated by Charlie with a great deal of impact.
Frederick ( Charlie) eventually leaves the boiler rooms behind and also has to leave colleagues who he knows will drown. He describes to the enquiry the scenes on deck when he meets passengers from the ship for the first time. This heartbreaking description of stranded passengers also includes a very detailed technical description of how some of the passengers, including Frederick, are lowered into lifeboats. The play ends with thoughts from Fredrick regarding survivor guilt and information about his life after his experience of working on the Titanic.
The very effective telling of this dramatic story is enhanced using simple props namely two very plain benches. The clever use of sound also adds a great deal to the atmosphere and drama of the situation. Such a powerful story as this does not need elaborate props as it is told so effectively through detailed narrative written by Tom Foreman and very convincing acting from Charlie Sheepshanks.I found the telling of this tale through the experiences of the stoker was quite fascinating and I was very impressed with the detailed research undertaken by Tom Foreman to enable him to write this play.
This play is now taking on a national tour following sell out performances at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024. It is being performed in a wide range of locations throughout the country.