Review: Boiler Room Six: A Titanic Story (Greenside @ George Street)

True survival story from below deck

When we think about the Titanic, we often think about wealth and grandeur. How much it cost to build, the wealthy travellers in first class, and the billionaires who fatally decided to visit the wreck last year. Less remembered are the sailors and stokers who kept it moving. Solo show Boiler Room Six: A Titanic Story, written and directed by Tom Foreman, recounts the true story of Frederick Barrett (Max Beken), a stoker who survived the sinking of the Titanic.

Photo Credit: Tom Foreman

Right from the moment we are taken on board, it feels like we are being dragged by the scruff of the neck – in the best possible way. From the boiler rooms to the bar to the corridors ankle-deep with water, the staging completely transports us. We can’t always picture the space as described, but the sound, lighting, and direction take us through the feelings, which is exactly what we are here for. The script is first and foremost concerned with building characters and creating thrills, but Foreman throws in some golden moments that take us by surprise. Best of all is the moment Barrett emerges at the top deck and, amongst the chaos, imagines what life could have been like if this had been his domain rather than the inferno of the boiler room.

Although Beken has the energy and charisma to take the audience on that journey, his performance doesn’t match his character. He has the swagger and the spring in his step of a Victorian paper boy, not the gruff, hardened worker he is trying to portray. After the performance, we are told that Foreman wanted to create a loyal and loving portrait of the man who went to sea to escape heartbreak. But even imagining Fredrick as gentler than your average boilerman, it is hard to buy Beken as the type to swill whisky, break up fights, and bellow at fellow sweat-drenched stokers. Miscast as Beken may be, Boiler Room Six is firstly a riveting performance and a new perspective on the disaster, and secondly an ode to the men who kept the boat going as long as they could and, for most of them, lost their lives to do so. With this show, Foreman proves once again that he is a playwright to watch. Four stars.