Punch - A Northern Theatre Review

Punch at Leeds Playhouse is a devastating piece of theatre, the kind that starts with a knot in the pit of your stomach and ends with you emotionally distraught, wondering how you are meant to just wander back out into the Leeds night as though everything is normal.

Written by James Graham and directed by Adam Penford, the play tells the extraordinary true story of Jacob Dunne, a Nottingham teenager whose impulsive act of violence leads to the death of James Hodgkinson, and of what happens when he is later confronted not just by guilt, but by the extraordinary grace of James’s family. Though James is never seen on stage, his presence looms large throughout, felt in every silence, every conversation and every wave of grief, making his absence one of the production’s most powerful characters.

What makes Punch so powerful is that it never chases easy answers, cliches or glib appeasements. Instead, it sits with the mess of it all, the damage, the grief, the anger, the shame, and the unbearable question of what anyone does next. That honesty is what makes it hit so hard. I openly wept, and I was very far from the only one. You could feel it all around the auditorium, that shared, breath held silence that only happens when an audience is completely in the grip of a story.

For me, it struck every parental nerve, tapping into that awful fear that you cannot always protect your children, however much you want to, and that fierce instinct to step in, defend them and take the pain on yourself if you could, even if it were fatal.

And, if I’m brutally honest, it also stirs up those darker instincts too, the anger, the helplessness, and the awful knowledge that grief can make you imagine things you would never want to imagine - should never have to imagine.

Punch did not just move me, it absolutely ruined me.

A huge part of that comes down to the performances, which are astonishing across the board. Jack James Ryan is extraordinary as Jacob, never smoothing off the rough edges or trying to make him more palatable than he should be.

There is bravado there, and confusion, and flashes of vulnerability, but also a terrible sense of a young life spinning out before it has fully understood itself. He holds the centre of the play brilliantly. Alongside him, Finty Williams is simply incredible as Joan, James’ mother. Her performance carries such depth of feeling, such restraint, such aching dignity, that when she speaks, the whole room seems to lean in. She does not overplay a single moment.

The emotion is all there, steady and shattering.

The production’s staging is minimal, but that turns out to be one of its greatest strengths. Nothing distracts from the people at the heart of this story. Every choice feels considered, clean and purposeful, which means the focus stays exactly where it should, on the words, the performances and the emotional fallout. In a play like this, that restraint is not just effective, it is essential. The simplicity of the staging gives the story room to breathe, and in turn gives the audience nowhere to hide.

James Graham has written a script that is sharp, compassionate and painfully observant, finding flashes of humour and humanity without ever letting the weight of the story drift. The play is rooted in Jacob Dunne’s account and dedicated to James Hodgkinson and all victims of one-punch violence, and you can feel that responsibility in every scene. There is urgency in it, but also care. It is gripping, yes, but it is the emotional intelligence of the writing that really lingers.

By the time the bows came, the standing ovation felt less like appreciation and more like emotional release. In fact, people were already on their feet applauding before the lights had properly come back up, myself included. It was one of those responses that feels completely instinctive, as though sitting down for a polite clap is woefully inadequate.

Punch is devastating, beautifully acted and written with astonishing heart, easily the best thing I’ve seen in the last couple of years.

It is not an easy watch, nor should it be. But it is a remarkable one, and one that will haunt me for a very long time.

Cast
Jack James Ryan as Jacob
Finty Williams as Joan
Laura Tebbutt as Jacob’s mum and Wendy
Matthew Flynn as David
Grace Hodgett Young as Clare and Nicola
Elan Butler as Raf and Sam

Creatives
Writer, James Graham
Based on the book Right From Wrong by Jacob Dunne
Director, Adam Penford
Production Designer, Anna Fleischle
Lighting Designer, Robbie Butler
Sound Designer and Composer, Alexandra Faye Braithwaite
Movement Director, Leanne Pinder
Movement Consultant, Lynne Page
Casting Director, Christopher Worrall CDG
Voice and Dialect Coach, Sally Hague
Fight Director, Kev McCurdy
Associate Director, Omar Khan
Associate Sound Designer, Annie May Fletcher
Production Consultant, Jacob Dunne