7½ Years continues at Nicolson Square – Great Hall until 27 (not 22-3) August 2021.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
This is a biographical work like nothing else I have ever seen. Mark Glentworth was a successful musician, working as an associate of Steven Berkoff for many years, creating the scores for some of his most celebrated work such as Metamorphosis and Coriolanus. A master craftsman of a truly high pedigree, fulfilling his potential.
Then he simply stopped.
For 7½ years.
This one-man show probably boasts the most loaded sound cue sheets of any show in the Fringe this year. In an intricate, interlaced soundscape of recorded and live music and effects, Mark strives to understand how it was that he became so broken that answering the phone was impossible and he couldn’t even bring himself to open up his laptop.
Seeking therapy was a false path for him as the treatment of medication and shock treatment achieved nothing. But clearly, there was a way back for him and this show tells his survivor’s story in an expression of hope.
Mark may not be a seasoned performer, but his sincerity and musicianship are luminous. There are several very well-crafted songs in the show: songs not only from the heart but touching the heart of the listeners.
It may be in the strength of these songs, Mark unlocked the strength he was looking for.
Fiona Orr
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