The arrival of James Graham’s Punch on Broadway at this particular moment in time would seem thoroughly in keeping with horrific real-life events and the gut-wrenching zeitgeisty fictions like Adolescence that force us to confront violence, grief and whatever sort of forgiveness we can muster. But such groupings go only so far before each individual case begins to pull and strain in its particulars. While Punch certainly lacks the devastating power of, say, Adolescence, Graham’s play about the ripples of a single impulsive act is certainly not without its impact.
Opening tonight in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (it’s also playing on London’s West End), Punch is based on a true story. The setting is Nottingham, England, from 2011-2025. The action begins as an angry, volatile, directionless young man goes out for a night on the town with friends, drinking, drugging and looking for a fight. Told by a mate that just such a brawl is brewing, Jacob (Will Harrison, excellent) goes flying toward an oblivious bystander, fist first, knocking the unsuspecting victim to the ground. That victim, James, who we never see, dies later of the brain injury sustained in the fall to the pavement.
Just as the stabbing death (and the guilt of the killer) in Adolescence is established quickly, there is no whodunit in Punch. Most of the play is devoted entirely to the aftereffects of that punch – Jacob, who is said to have endured a childhood of various emotional difficulties, barely has words to express his feelings even under the best of times, becomes more sullen and withdrawn than ever, resentful of his fate and angry at the mate who turned him in. His Mum (Lucy Taylor), like Jacob fragile even in the best of times, falls apart.
And then there are the parents of the dead boy James, Joan (Victoria Clark) and David (Sam Robards), grieving, angry and perhaps most of all confused. How could this gentle boy they loved so much, minding his own business (or was he? They don’t know.) be gone in a flash. One punch.
Through the assistance of a social worker (Camila Canó-Flaviá) and a parole officer (Lucy Taylor; many of the performers take on more than one role), both the dead boys’ parents and the boys’ killer come to agree, after considerable contemplation, to take part in the British restorative justice system. They agree to begin communication – Jacob is out on parole after 14 months in prison – at first by a series of letters (mostly the parents asking him questions about the circumstances of that night), and then, in the play’s final act, an in-person meeting.
As we watch the unfolding, there’s always a chance for the whole situation to go sideways (though, given that the play is based on a memoir by the real-life puncher Jacob Dunne, we pretty much know that something like healing will take place).
Despite the inherent drama and sadness of the entire situation, Punch too often feels like a PSA for the restorative justice procedure, with lots of exposition and step-by-step procedural instructions that, frankly, don’t really need so much explanation. We’ve all seen similar storylines before, whether on TV crime procedurals or docu-dramas. The outcome will come as no surprise, even less so given that the real-life Jacob, with the full support of James’ parents, has made it his mission to spread the word about the consequences of violence and the ramifications of what, in the UK, is known as “one punch.”
Granted, neither Punch nor the real-life incident that inspired it could begin to match the horrors of the most heinous crimes of our day, from school shootings to the assassination of Charlie Kirk or any number of intentional atrocities. As sad as the loss of life in Punch is, we can’t help but imagine more nightmarish scenarios, and wonder what role restorative justice could play.
Still, Punch doesn’t lack power, and that in large part is due to a fine cast. Playing on a mostly bare stage over which an arched bridge bares witness to all, Harrison (Daisy Jones and the Six, A Complete Unknown) convincingly morphs from dangerous, out-of-control terror to hollowed-out shell and, finally, a man who only gradually begins to take responsibility for himself. It’s a tremendously affecting performance.
Victoria Clark, forever Broadway royalty for her generational performance in Kimberly Akimbo, has the difficult responsibility of portraying a mother both destroyed by tragedy yet of such stuff that she’s capable of rising again. Her journey to forgive her son’s murderer is hard to fathom, yet Clark makes it real, first by taking a baby step toward, at the very least, understanding what led to this hell.
Harrison and Clark are matched by a terrific ensemble that includes Camila Canó-Flaviá, Cody Kostro, Piter Marek, Sam Robards and Lucy Taylor. They are ably directed by Adam Penford, who has a fine sense of movement and stillness, encouraging his cast to keep emotions in check until they’re not.
The post ‘Punch’ Broadway Review: When Violence Meets Forgiveness appeared first on Deadline.
