There is a scene in Michael Campbell’s authorial debut Killing Other People where the central character, Mr Black, remarks: “We are more than our parts.” Sadly, the reverse seems to be true Campbell’s one-act drama exploring the motivations and desires behind genocide.

Attempts at profundity often fall flat, seeming best contrived and at worst self-indulgent. The play’s many fragments of ethical musings also often left me wishing for a greater overall coherence of meaning.  This text-driven play appeared to be more about ‘telling’ than ‘showing’, and the transition from page to the stage was not a very smooth one, at times making one feel that it would have made a more compelling read instead. And unfortunately, our knowledge that Black appreciates Beethoven and has an ex-wife and daughter does not make him seem ‘human’ enough for us to feel unsettled by the connections we share with him.

The flaws of the script are partially redeemed by intelligent, strong acting on the part of the cast. As Black, Henry St Leger-Davey shifts with ease from phases of feverish mania to disengaged opacity, his morbid obsession with murder never lurking far beneath the surface. Kim Jarvis also deserves mention for her controlled, nuanced acting as Miss Pennyfeather, making her emotionally-charged confrontation with Black near the end one of the few memorable moments in the play.

And Black’s disorderly, shadowy office – in which the entire play is set – effectively reflects the psychedelic nature and obsessive one-track nature of his mind. The more intimate setting of the Corpus Playroom also helped to amplify this, allowing for a close-up examination of the issues at hand.

But for all its merits, Killing Other People lacks the very “momentum” Black speaks of at its outset, and – while this may well have been the writer’s intention – one cannot help but leave the show feeling slightly confused and somewhat frustrated.