The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom, possibly the oldest known religious texts in the world. This link lends itself nicely to the play by that same name of Geoff Thompson. He has described this short play as “a 90 minute poem” and it is set to be released as a short film starring Braveheart star, James Cosmo.

Alone in a boxing gym, with a video camera, there is one last thing that Ray has to do. Recording the lessons learned from a lifetime in the ring, he is forced to lower his guard and face the consequences of feelings buried for years beneath his hardened exterior.

With a minimal set, consisting of only a used punch bag and a stool, The Pyramid Texts focuses on retired boxer and trainer Ray. The character seems rather more educated in his speech and philosophical thinking than his story seems to suggest, which serves to disconnect the audience from his story. He speaks throughout to a video-camera in front of him, never once moving from his stool. Whilst this in effect allows us to intrude into his private recording it allows for very little light and shade within the performance, despite Christopher Fairbank’s best efforts.

Christopher Fairbank does a splendid job of letting us in, despite the obvious challenges the piece burdens him with. His performance is dynamic and full of energy, his physicality gives a real sense of a proud ex-boxing champion. The enthusiasm he brings to his character for his love of fighting is very well performed, but more could be made of this if the direction could have found some way for Fairbank to use the space and further express this – the amount of empty space saps some of the energy out of his fine work. Nonetheless, he strips back his character bit by bit, as more is revealed.

One-man plays are always tricky, as the lack of character interaction leaves a gap that has to be filled. Clever writing in a way, but the sheer amount of time the story and the message take to reveal themselves mean we struggle to create any real connection with the piece. A little too self-indulgent to ever be engaging.   ★★★☆☆     Sam Chipman    27/05/15