An Audience with Marvin Herbert told the powerful story of how a former criminal turned his life around and now works to help young people avoid a life of violent crime.
Herbert engaged the audience with dramatic tales of growing up as a mixed-race, autistic boy in Liverpool. He vulnerably detailed the impact of feeling as though he did not fit in, explaining how this sense of isolation contributed to his eventual involvement in crime.
A striking feature of the show was the way crime in Herbert’s life appeared to snowball from a young age. He began with petty theft and fighting at school before progressing to more serious offences, including armed robbery, eventually finding himself on trial for killings. His openness, honesty and accountability were central to the show, as Herbert reflected on how each offence made him feel increasingly emboldened to commit further crimes.
After being shot and finding himself close to death, Herbert decided to leave his life of crime behind. He shared with the audience how he began to recognise the unnecessary pain caused by his actions, realising that he had become the person he had hated as a boy.
The story conveyed a powerful and eye-opening message, but the show would have benefited from greater structure. At times, Herbert’s story felt disjointed, which detracted from the overall impact of what was an extraordinary life story.
Herbert also briefly discussed the impactful work he is now doing to protect young people from exploitation and violent crime. This includes campaigning to have zombie knives banned in the UK and fighting for greater legal protection for under 18s from criminal exploitation. For the audience, it was particularly inspirational to see how Herbert has transformed his experiences in the criminal world into protecting others from a life of violent crime. This work deserved a greater focus within the show which could have made the show even more powerful.
An Audience with Marvin Herbert presented a fascinating and inspirational life story, capturing the audience’s attention while offering a powerful reflection on crime. Although a lack of structure sometimes diminished the impact of Marvin’s story, his honesty, accountability and commitment to helping others made for a thought-provoking show.
An Audience with Marvin Herbert is running until 29 August at studio at C ARTS | C venues | C aurora. Buy tickets here.
