In this one-man show, James McGrgory plays a mediocre medical student who is also a mediocre amateur boxer. He realises that his middling skills in both fields can be combined to make him an excellent cutman: the person responsible for patching a boxer’s wounds between rounds. (Even if you don’t know much about boxing, the play explains the sport just enough that you’ll be able to keep up.) Like a Scorsese movie, the plot meanders through various events in this character’s career as he interacts with shady characters, gets into scrapes, and scrabbles to make a decent life for himself.
McGregor’s performance is enjoyably intense. The character has a certain charm and sweetness, and it’s endearing to hear him gush lovingly about boxing, but there is an unsettling aggression and anger lurking beneath the surface, and which occasionally rears its terrifying head. His New England accent (the story takes place in Massachusetts) is generally great, with only the occasional slightly distracting slip. The only area in which McGregor’s performance is lacking is comedy. Pierpan’s script – like the Scorsese movies that clearly inspired it – is littered with funny jokes, distinctive turns of phrase, and whacky characters, but McGregor fails to maximise their comic potential.
Director Paul O’Mahony is clearly more interested in the drama of the story, and as a result the tense moments shine. The final boxing match is extremely exciting. Every element – excellent sound and lighting design, McGregor’s intense performance, the punchy script – works together in harmony to paint an evocative picture of the fight, which is loaded with emotional stakes, thanks to the slow burn rivals-to-friends arc with boxer Gregory. If the light-hearted, funny, and touching moments could have been of the same standard as these tense moments, it would have gone a long way to make the show even more entertaining and to endear the character to the audience further.
The Problem with the Seventh Year is running until the 15th of November at the White Bear Theatre, with tickets available here: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/
Reviewer: Charles Edward Pipe
Reviewed: 4th November 2025
North West End UK Rating: