Our culture has a deep fascination with the sinking of the Titanic, but the most famous depictions of the disaster are framed from the point of view of the ship’s guests on the upper decks. What is often overlooked is the experiences of the ship’s crew, who were given the impossible choice of fending for themselves, or continuing to work to keep the lights on whilst the ship went down. Boiler Room Six tells the story of Frederick Barrett, a stoker on the Titanic whose story of survival and sacrifice gives a well-informed, visceral, and powerful insight into the last few hours of the Titanic.
We follow Barrett from the beginning of the voyage, hanging out in the crew’s quarters, meeting the other crew members, and we get a sense of the normalcy that is disrupted when the ship hits ice. From then on, we are right there in almost real time as Barrett deals with the sinking of this unsinkable ship, trying to keep the lights on for as long as possible, whilst at the same time trying to do right by his crew and the dangers they also face.
Boiler Room Six is a one-man show, played with the energy and physicality required for such a dynamic, dramatic story. The only props are two benches, but the play is blocked and devised so cleverly that you’re always where the play wants you to be. The actor plays different crew members and makes them different enough so that it’s never confusing who is speaking, without it being too cartoonish.
The play, written by Tom Foreman, is beautifully written and full of detail, which only helps the audience to be drawn into the story. The loud, energetic parts are exciting, but the play provides enough quiet moments that allow the characters and the audience to reflect. With this, we really get the sense of what the crew have left behind to be on this ship, and what they are sacrificing in their decision to remain.
There are plenty of sound effects underscoring the drama, some of which can get very loud. Whilst this does contribute to the sense of scale, the actor’s decision not to use a microphone means that some of the dialogue does get washed out. Even sat at the front, there were some moments where I was unable to parse what was being said. Nevertheless, Boiler Room Six is a really fresh, powerful, and interesting new take on the most famous maritime disaster in history.
