REVIEW - SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS - EDINBURGH FRINGE -

Seven and a Half Years is a new musical based on a true story. Written, composed and performed by Mark Glentworth, the show follows Mark during the years following his breakdown.

Mark is a composer, and suffers a mental health crisis, which leads to hospitalisation and the use of therapy, electroconvulsive therapy and medication. After he is discharged he then spends 7 and a half years inside his house, isolating himself from friends and family, and only ever venturing to the corner shop to buy sandwiches.

Glentworth is a talented composer and this shines through, especially when he plays the piano. Some of the vocals were slightly shaky, and the more upbeat tracks which were recorded audio obviously lacked the sound quality of the live music performances.

As this is Glentworth’s story I surprisingly found his performance somewhat lacking in emotion. It’s an important story to tell, especially during this epidemic of male mental health issues, which isn’t talked about nearly enough. The script is great, but part of me wishes that somebody else performed it – which is strange for an autobiographical piece I know. But Glentworth’s vocals and performance didn’t give me the emotional reaction to the piece I expected.

It’s a beautiful tale of hope and mental health struggles. Seven and Half Years shows that things can always get better no matter how far down the pit you fall. I just hoped for a more powerful performance.

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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