The reviews are in for All at Sea, Alison Carr’s new play at Live Theatre in Newcastle, which had its press night on 29 September. A co-production with the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, in association with Laurels, it takes its premise from the case of John Darwin, the “canoe man” who faked his own death in 2002, and turns it into a fictional two-hander. Phil Corbitt and Sarah Belcher play Colin and Deborah, and Maria Crocker directs. Most of the critics praise both performances, and several single out Belcher as Deborah grows into a life of her own. The play’s many short scenes divide them. The Spy in the Stalls admires the lighting and sound that carry the changes, while British Theatre Guide and The Reviews Hub find the flashing lights and loud music between scenes intrusive, and Cultured North East feels the fragmentation costs the play some of its weight.
The verdict: eight reviews in so far. Five carry a rating: four four-star notices and one three-star, an average of 3.8 out of 5. British Theatre Guide, InNewcastle and Cultured North East publish no score. The two performances are praised almost everywhere; the stop-start staging of the play’s many short scenes is where opinions split.
What are critics saying about All at Sea?
The Guardian
"faked death of ‘canoe man’ inspires waves of intrigue"
Reviewer: Mark Fisher
While nothing changes in the prison of their home – in a functional if too literal design by Hannah Sibai – things continue to evolve for Deborah: the people she meets, the clothes she wears, the self-worth she feels. Slowly, subtly, the man she loved looks ever more patronising, jealously keeping her in check.
Corbitt and Belcher are excellent at the push-pull of contradictory emotions, their troubling chemistry making the play’s grisly conclusion feel necessary.
The Reviews Hub
"dark, dramatic, frenzy"
Reviewer: Winifred Wynn
"This two hander was well cast and character development was clearly seen. Belcher in particular showed distinctly her portal from the down trodden wife, who went along with her husbands ideas, to finally blossoming into a women in her own rights. This was a joy to watch. Her costume changes were simple but effective and had to be quick, which she achieved with aplomb."
The Spy in the Stalls
Reviewer: Molly Knox
"Set across months spent in the couple’s ironically ‘live, laugh, love’ sprinkled living room, the production is brilliant at re-inventing itself through clever design and spoken recontextualization. Hannah Sibai’s set and costume design compliments the twists and turns of Carr’s winding script and creates a playfully macabre space for the action to race towards its climax. Gauze and trapdoors create some of the show’s most eery and unexpected moments and allow the cabin Colin’s cabin fever to seep through the stage."
Fairy Powered Productions
Reviewer: Sandra Little
"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."
Read Sandra Little’s full review at Fairy Powered Productions
British Theatre Guide
Reviewer: Anna Ambelez
"There are some very dramatic flashing lighting effects (Catja Hamilton) and frenetic music (Roma Yagnik), which cover the 30 changes of scene. I initially thought it was a thunderstorm, and it may have been intended to accentuate the traumatic events being told, however I found them very intrusive to the action. It may be possible to amalgamate some scenes and possibly fade one into another. It is also easier to put an actor near their next entrance or exit at the end of a scene instead of them having to cross the width of the stage in the dark. These may be minor issues, but I feel the way the changes of scenes are handled does not enhance the production."
InNewcastle
Reviewer: Jon Isbell
"While heavily inspired by the real events of “canoe man” John Darwin and his (now ex) wife Anne Stephenson, ‘All At Sea’ is nonetheless a work of fiction. It takes the scenario of a couple seeking to fraudulently claim life insurance by faking the man’s death and deftly turns it into a study in marriage, coercion, pride, identity, self-worth, and social expectation."
Cultured North East
Reviewer: Sam Wonfor
The succession of short scenes creates an appealing energy, but the fragmentation comes at a cost.
Carr introduces a shifting balance of power within Colin and Deborah’s marriage – his isolation and growing need for control set against the possibilities beginning to open up for her – without always allowing them enough space to gather dramatic weight.
Individual moments land, but the cumulative effect isn't quite as powerful as it might be.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Tracey Sinclair, three stars, "Full of sharp edges"), whose review sits behind a paywall.
Production photographs by Von Fox Promotions.
For more verdicts from beyond London, read our roundups of Murder Before Evensong at the Watermill Theatre and I’ll Be Seeing You at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
All at Sea runs at Live Theatre, Newcastle, until 10 October 2026, then at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, from 16 to 31 October 2026.
