This is a man’s world, and any woman looking to claim otherwise should prepare themselves for a fight and even the surly tarnish of being called a bitch. Bitch Boxer is here to show us that a girl with hope, ambition and drive has nothing to apologise for.

The unfaltering, jaw-dropping, heart-thumping performance from an undoubtedly rising star in Holly Augustine (Chloe), and shatteringly precise and evocative text from Charlotte Josephine, drew me immediately into the world of our protagonist. Chloe is a Leytonstone girl with the tantalisingly touchable dream of participating in the London 2012 Olympics as one of the first ever women to compete in boxing at an Olympic level. This work is testament to the power of simple skilful storytelling: the way in which this one woman can paint her world so perfectly is a wonder. Augustine moves between her portrayal of Chloe to impersonating her coach, father, mother and boyfriend with such ease and fantastic timing that the audience are truly made to feel part of Chloe’s world. Her performance is arrestingly open, endearing and energetic and a true pleasure to watch, both funny and heart-wrenching, without ever pushing too hard.

In such high energy solo performance an audience is often made to think how hard it must be for the performer: how hard to remember this monologue, to keep pace, to maintain an audience’s attention for so long. Not once did any of these thoughts cross my mind as the fifty minutes of this piece flew by. So engaged and lost was I in Chloe’s story of fighting, losing and loving that I forgot I was watching an actress and invested entirely in the fate of our heroine. Augustine owns the text completely; even when it veers smoothly into more poetic language she is never ill at ease. The deeply layered writing, which manages to create an entirely three-dimensional central character, and to splice natural speech and dialogue with moments of poetic prowess, is a brilliant piece of work from a talented young writer.

It is also often the case that when a piece delivers social comment – because let’s not ignore the fact we are talking about an incredibly important landmark for all women here, a symbolic and physical victory in the fight for equality – story and theatrical skill can sometimes be skimped on in favour of presenting fact. Not here. The skilful writing and detailing of our main character, allowing her to breathe fully as a real woman, one who loves, who hates, who swears and fights, makes the piece a truly magnificent theatrical achievement. Here is a show that delivers big punches on every front – great writing with magical timing, comedy and pathos in equal measure, and a delivery in Augustine’s performance that can only be described as perfection.