Last night at the Golden Goose Theatre in Oval, London audiences were treated to something quietly extraordinary. Seven and a Half Years is not just a one-man play – it is an act of courage, resilience and creative rebirth, delivered with honesty, humility and, above all, beautiful music.
Written and performed by London-based songwriter and composer Mark Glentworth, the show is deeply autobiographical, charting a life shaped by early brilliance, profound responsibility, devastating illness and a hard-won return to creativity. Yet what could have felt heavy or overly earnest is instead moving, intimate and – surprisingly – uplifting.
What struck me most was the music. I could have listened to it for hours. I had never heard Mark’s songs before that evening, yet within minutes I was completely hooked. The melodies feel timeless and emotionally direct, carrying the audience through moments of fragility, loss and hope with a gentleness that lingers long after the final note fades.
Mark’s life story is remarkable. Growing up in Lincolnshire as the only pupil in a school of a thousand studying music, he went on to become the youngest percussion student ever accepted into the Royal Northern College of Music at just 16. His composition Blues for Gilbert remains one of the most studied and performed tuned percussion pieces worldwide – an extraordinary achievement by any measure.
But Seven and a Half Years is not about accolades. It is about what happens when life stops you in your tracks. At just 21, Mark became a full-time carer for his first wife following an MS diagnosis, while simultaneously building a demanding career as an orchestral percussionist and composer. Years later, after professional success and collaborations including work with Steven Berkoff at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, his life unravelled completely.
A sudden and unexplained breakdown left him with tinnitus, insomnia and muteness. For seven years, he lived in near-total isolation, spending up to 23 hours a day in silence. Doctors could offer no explanation. Survival itself felt uncertain.
And yet, this is ultimately a story of return.
In 2017, Mark slowly found his way back to music, rediscovering the songwriting he had loved as a child. That rediscovery gave birth to Seven and a Half Years, a powerful blend of songs, dialogue and soundscapes that went on to win Best New Musical Runner-Up at the 2021 Edinburgh Festival.
Watching him perform now feels like witnessing someone fully inhabiting their second life – not erasing the past, but transforming it into art. There is no self-pity here, only generosity and connection.
Since then, Mark has continued to create, touring Italy in 2025 with the extraordinary blind singer-pianist Frida Bollani, and currently working on a screenplay adaptation of his life story. His involvement with the Talent Is Timeless community adds another layer to his journey – one rooted in shared stories and creative belonging.
His advice to songwriters over 50 resonates far beyond music:
“It really is never too late to go again.”
Seven and a Half Years is a reminder that creativity can survive silence, that music can return after loss, and that it is never too late to begin again. An inspirational evening – and one London Mums readers would do well not to miss if they have the chance.
5 stars
A quietly powerful, musically beautiful and deeply human piece of theatre.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
