REVIEW: THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEVENTH YEAR by Nicholas Pierpan at White Bear Theatre 28 Oct – 15 Nov 2025

‘sublimely intelligent script and a well-judged performance’ ★★★★

The scene is set by a clever and simple lighting design (by Will Hayman) which suggests a boxing ring. This solo show starring James McGregor charts the progress of his character, Man, through his amateur boxing career whilst studying to be a doctor, through to his work as a professional cutman. If Man, doesn’t feel totally convinced that he wants to work in the Medical profession, his mind is made up for him when a dilemma forces him to choose between his hypocritic oath and his passion for boxing.

For anyone, who knows nothing about boxing, (I’m putting my hand up here), the play has insider knowledge of the raw emotions, the toxic masculinity, the opponent who becomes the nemesis, and the sheer guts and bloody mindedness of the game. The real professionals take the hits, so that they can give back. There’s more insider knowledge of the job of the Cutman with words like, adrenaline to stop the bleeding, coagulants, brandy, honey, cotton buds up the nose, ice, raw eggs and ‘cement’ (we are not spared the gruesome description of the necessity for using this).

A sublimely intelligent script, THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEVENTH YEAR, won playwright Nicholas Pierpan the Cameron Mackintosh Award for New Writing.  First performed as ‘The Cutman’ at Theatre Ulm, Germany in 2009, this new production is pared back to the bones of James McGregor’s stupendous performance. 

Under the direction of Paul O’Mahony, McGregor gives a truly convincing, deeply masculine, performance. The character has internal struggles, aptly played by McGregor without any sense of self-pity.   The addition of a love interest consolidates the feeling that we’re witnessing a realistic story. Man has feelings of inadequacy, to which we, the audience are privy, whilst the outward appearance might be one of confidence.   Man is a character that clearly is a ‘feeling’ person, one moment scared of going into the ring, and then forgetting the pain in the buzz of the game. It is wonderfully universal, the kind of stuff that everyone goes through, in any sphere of life, the push and pull, the insecurities, the decisions to be made, sometimes, are just made for us.

In one episode of the play, let’s call it the denouement, Man is faced with an argument about abstract thought and that words are necessary to express it. He refutes this. He gives a pictorial example of how words are not necessary. It’s a moment in the script which shows how we can all be drowning, weighed down by invisible forces. No matter how hard we struggle, we are sometimes overcome and just give up.  It’s a beautiful and at the same time an horrendous moment which has resonances later in the script.

McGregor as Man, looks the part too, his physique and his movement with the occasional sparring, upper cuts, right or left hook. It’s a truly well-judged performance.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEVENTH YEAR by Nicholas Pierpan at White Bear Theatre 28 Oct – 15 Nov 2025

BOX OFFICE https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-problem-with-the-seventh-year

Cast: James McGregor

Director: Paul O’Mahony, Artistic Director of Out Of Chaos Theatre Company

Producer: Sarah Roy, 19th Street Productions

Set and Costume consultant: Lu Herbert

Lighting Design: Will Hayman

Sound Design: Raffaela Pancucci

Photographer credit: Lidia Crisafulli