Seven and a Half Years by Mark Glentworth. The Brockley Jack Studio theatre,410 Brockley Road, London SE4 to 11 June 2022. 4****. William Russell.

This hour long monologue with songs by Mark Glentworth is about the mental problems of a composer who has retreated from the world suffering from stress. He can no longer cope with people, with life. He exists on sandwiches from his corner shop and that is about it, refusing to answer the door to concerned friends, failing to respond to his family when they telephone. What we see is how slowly he starts to recover, to talk to his therapist, to his father, who is dying, to actually buying proper food - takeaway fish and chips is a triumph. Glentworth rises to the challenge of the role magnificently, and sings the songs he has composed sometimes to a backing tape, sometimes seated at a keyboard on stage. It must be tricky to do and he does it remarkably well. Directed by Julia Stubbs the result is a moving piece of theatre.

Mark Glentworth
Director: Julia Stubbs.
Lighting Designer:Jonny Dantiger.
Production Manager: Marcus Glentworth.
Production Photography: Tim Stubbs Hughes.