Punch by James Graham - Nottingham Playhouse / Young Vic

[TallPaul]

Saturday 4 May to Saturday 25 May 2024.

World Premiere

Based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne.

Teenager Jacob lives in The Meadows, Nottingham. Like his mates, he spends Saturday nights drinking, sometimes dabbling with drugs, and often looking for a bit of trouble. One night in Old Market Square, his friend squares up to a stranger. Jacob wades in and throws one single punch – with fatal consequences.

Released from prison, lost and haunted by guilt, his life spirals until, out of the blue, the parents of his victim ask to meet him. Their quest for answers results in an unlikely connection and Jacob’s life begins to turn around. This important and fascinating new play shows us the incredible power of forgiveness, whilst asking important questions about toxic masculinity, class and our education system.

Nottingham’s James Graham is one of Britain’s most celebrated writers, winning multiple Olivier Awards, as well as BAFTA, Emmy and Tony Award nominations.

[AddisonMizner]

My local theatre, and I hadn’t even noticed this. Must have completely skipped over it in the season announcement. A new James Graham is always exciting for me, so will definitely be booking, especially as it is so local.

[theoracle]

Has anyone had a chance to see this yet too? Very much looking forward to visiting Nottingham this weekend for it

[alessia]

Just read a 5 stars review from What's on stage- I hope this comes to London...

[Rory]

Superb review in The Times.

[clarefh]

Was even referenced by a judge in his sentencing this week.

[AddisonMizner]

I went to see PUNCH this afternoon. It is another absolute stunner of a play from James Graham (who was there, which was very exciting). It deals with themes such as gang violence, toxic masculinity, faith and the power of forgiveness.

The first act begins with the fateful punch, and then goes back in time to show how our main character, Jacob got to that point. It moves through time throughout, with scenes involving James’ parents, David and Joan (the victim of Jacob’s one punch). It is very energetic and fast-paced.

The second act is where the play really takes off, and is the emotional heart of the piece. This focusses on the restorative justice process once Jacob gets out of prison, and how he turns his life around. This is the first time that Jacob can bring himself to say James’ name. It is incredibly moving, and I had tears in my eyes throughout. However, it also does that typical Graham masterstroke of making you laugh alongside the tears. The scene where the three main characters meet for the first time is absolute fire!

The dialogue in this is incredibly well crafted, feeling hyper-realistic. Sentences trail off unfinished, only for another to be introduced and characters interrupt one another as you would expect. Every single interaction feels authentic.

The small cast do a fantastic job at portraying multiple characters.

David Shields as Jacob is a star. He is immensely watchable, and you cannot take your eyes off of him. Having listened to the audiobook of Jacob’s memoir, he also does an uncanny job with his voice. He is onstage throughout, and the energy is breathtaking. His reactions to others when not speaking are also beautiful to watch.

Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst as James’ parents, Joan and Tony are a moving presence throughout, and portray their anguish and inner conflict beautifully.

Alec Boaden, Shalisha James-Davis and Emma Pallant excel at playing their multiple roles. It feels like each one is played by a different actor.

I also just wanted to mention the lighting, which is brilliant. It works really well with the static set to move us from scene to scene, as well as create mood and atmosphere.

This deserves a future life, beyond its month in Nottingham. It is a really important piece of theatre, that should be seen by a much wider audience. I encourage those who can get to Nottingham to go and see it.

I can’t wait for BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF in July.

5 stars.

[gtee]

May 11, 2024 18:52:16 GMT AddisonMizner said:

I went to see PUNCH this afternoon. It is another absolute stunner of a play from James Graham (who was there, which was very exciting). It deals with themes such as gang violence, toxic masculinity, faith and the power of forgiveness.

The first act begins with the fateful punch, and then goes back in time to show how our main character, Jacob got to that point. It moves through time throughout, with scenes involving James’ parents, David and Joan (the victim of Jacob’s one punch). It is very energetic and fast-paced.

The second act is where the play really takes off, and is the emotional heart of the piece. This focusses on the restorative justice process once Jacob gets out of prison, and how he turns his life around. This is the first time that Jacob can bring himself to say James’ name. It is incredibly moving, and I had tears in my eyes throughout. However, it also does that typical Graham masterstroke of making you laugh alongside the tears. The scene where the three main characters meet for the first time is absolute fire!

The dialogue in this is incredibly well crafted, feeling hyper-realistic. Sentences trail off unfinished, only for another to be introduced and characters interrupt one another as you would expect. Every single interaction feels authentic.

The small cast do a fantastic job at portraying multiple characters.

David Shields as Jacob is a star. He is immensely watchable, and you cannot take your eyes off of him. Having listened to the audiobook of Jacob’s memoir, he also does an uncanny job with his voice. He is onstage throughout, and the energy is breathtaking. His reactions to others when not speaking are also beautiful to watch.

Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst as James’ parents, Joan and Tony are a moving presence throughout, and portray their anguish and inner conflict beautifully.

Alec Boaden, Shalisha James-Davis and Emma Pallant excel at playing their multiple roles. It feels like each one is played by a different actor.

I also just wanted to mention the lighting, which is brilliant. It works really well with the static set to move us from scene to scene, as well as create mood and atmosphere.

This deserves a future life, beyond its month in Nottingham. It is a really important piece of theatre, that should be seen by a much wider audience. I encourage those who can get to Nottingham to go and see it.

I can’t wait for BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF in July.

5 stars.

Great review. Live in Nottingham so have finally booked tickets; going on the final night

[sam22]

This really was excellent. Definitely worth a trip to Nottingham to catch it if you're on the fence!

[mkb]

I was going to post some comments, but AddisonMizner has already said pretty much everything I wanted to say. (Shields, rest of cast, lighting, etc.: all superlative.)

Normally these days, if I join in with an ovation, it's done reluctantly because my view is blocked. The last time I saw a play that actually merited standing to applaud, it was for Denise Gough in People, Places and Things in 2015. It's only taken nine years for another to come along, but, boy, does Punch deserve it, and especially David Shields. Kudos too to James Graham for keeping the protagonist real and human, when it would have been so easy to stereotype and shock. I wasn't quite prepared for how moved I would be in the second act by the startling humanity on display. Some very puffy eyes by the end here!

What with Till the Stars Come Down wowing the Dorfman recently, Nottinghamshire seems to be having a moment. Surely, space must be found in the capital for a transfer?

Five stars.

Act 1: 19:34-20:34
Act 2: 20:58-22:04

[Rory]

I want to see this so badly.

[andrew]

Going tonight! Living in the regions has to come with a bonus every so often...

[TallPaul]

[andthelight]

Popped up to Nottingham today to catch the matinee. Unsurprisingly, it’s outstanding. Incredibly moving, well-told and detailed as always. I feel like a west end transfer is inevitable.

[andrew]

You can always tell when you're watching a James Graham play. What's nice is as he's matured as a playwright it feels like he's letting himself do stuff like what happens in the second act, longer scenes, not as focused on storytelling in his fast and funny way and letting characters have proper discussion, let emotions bubble slowly to the surface. I still think there are moments in this where he throws away an opportunity for drama in the interests of keeping the story moving (I don't want to spoil anything, it's related to what happens to the main characters mother that I'm thinking of) but this becomes so moving in act 2, especially when you reflect that this is a representation of real events. It's nice to see an audience crying because of moments of kindness, that's what I think hits hardest.

The combination of lighting and direction got a bit weird a couple of times in the first act but they do a lot with minimal set and props, it's a great example of regional theatre punching above it's weight technically. The cast are excellent, there's a lot of doubling (tripling, quadrupling) going on with lightning fast changes in character which must be exhausting for them.

Most wonderfully sitting in a Nottingham audience hearing them laugh at jokes and insider references about their own town, I really hope this is something that everyone locally is coming out to see and it's not just theatre fans like me driving up of an evening. There's a strong sense of a local theatre putting on a real and important local story and inviting the whole community in to see it. The Nottingham Playhouse was quite lovely I thought as well, I was in the front of the circle and it's a nice house.

Worth journeying to go and see it where it means the most, I'd say this is guaranteed to transfer though.

[mkb]

May 19, 2024 11:20:49 GMT andrew said:

... Most wonderfully sitting in a Nottingham audience hearing them laugh at jokes and insider references about their own town, I really hope this is something that everyone locally is coming out to see and it's not just theatre fans like me driving up of an evening. ...

If this transfers, I do hope they leave intact all of the local references nor feel the need to explain them. There's nothing worse than producers who condescendingly think their audience isn't clever enough to work things out. (Of course, it's usually British plays going to the US that suffer this fate.)

[TallPaul]

Word's got out! All remaining performances now sold out.

[properjob]

I very nearly missed this as I was away for the first two weeks of the run but thought I could just go anytime later in the run. Fortunately I did just book in time and agree with what everyone else here has said it is brilliant.

The only question is how soon they can bring it back. I'm sure they will bring it back but I imagine it will take at least a year before there is an open slot in their existing committed plans and I assume they will also be thinking about trying to organise tour and/or a transfer. I don't think the local references will be any hindrance as every city and large town has areas of social housing that didn't work out and suffer from under investment like the meadows.

[BurlyBeaR]

Is it Nottingham accents, Duck?

[mkb]

May 20, 2024 9:10:27 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Is it Nottingham accents, Duck?

Yes, for all the Nottingham-based characters, apart from Julie Hesmondhalgh who sticks to her own Lancashire accent as far as I could tell. Her main role is as the victim's mother who is from far away (unspecified location unless I missed it), and she doesn't have much to say when she occasionally plays local people.

The accents from Alec Boaden, Emma Pallant and David Shields are so spot-on that they must surely come from Nottingham?

[TallPaul]

For the reasons Parsley has set out in the Boys from the Blackstuff thread,I don't always get on with James Graham.

Act I is typically Graham. Very wordy. Very busy. No scene longer than two minutes.

Act II is less frenetic. More static. More powerful. This being James Graham, he also can't stop himself from reminding the audience of his politics.

The cast, and their dressers, work their socks off. Often leaving the stage only to return, literally seconds later, as a different character in a different costume. The exception is David Shields who, quite rightly, receives the loudest round of applause. Julie Hesmondhalgh plays Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Will it transfer? Although it would recoup in about three days, I'm not sure even the hardest of hard-nosed producers would be comfortable making money out of a true-life tragedy. Its natural home would probably be the National Theatre, which is thanked in the programme, if that's a clue.

[parsley1]

May 26, 2024 13:10:38 GMT TallPaul said:

For the reasons Parsley has set out in the Boys from the Blackstuff thread,I don't always get on with James Graham.

Act I is typically Graham. Very wordy. Very busy. No scene longer than two minutes.

Act II is less frenetic. More static. More powerful. This being James Graham, he also can't stop himself from reminding the audience of his politics.

The cast, and their dressers, work their socks off. Often leaving the stage only to return, literally seconds later, as a different character in a different costume. The exception is David Shields who, quite rightly, receives the loudest round of applause. Julie Hesmondhalgh plays Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Will it transfer? Although it would recoup in about three days, I'm not sure even the hardest of hard-nosed producers would be comfortable making money out of a true-life tragedy. Its natural home would probably be the National Theatre, which is thanked in the programme, if that's a clue.

Its important for a playwright to express their views and angle in their writing

But there is a way of doing this subtly and thoughtfully

This passed James Graham by

It’s tedious and his writing and the staging of his shows is stuck in a time warp from 2-3 decades ago

It’s such a shame as his early plays were character based and quite wonderful

[jonnymb]

Transfer to the Young Vic confirmed for spring 2025.

x.com/youngvictheatre/status/1813474567504974081

[zahidf]

Jul 17, 2024 7:34:56 GMT jonnymb said:

Transfer to the Young Vic confirmed for spring 2025.

x.com/youngvictheatre/status/1813474567504974081

March 2025 onwards!

[zahidf]

Soul Mates booking opens at midday.
Friends and Good Friends can book from Fri 19 Jul, 12pm
Public booking opens on Mon 22 Jul, 12pm