James Graham’s Punch at the Young Vic doesn’t just land – it reverberates. A single, impulsive act of violence unspools into a gripping exploration of justice, regret, and the messy, human fight for redemption. Inspired by Jacob Dunne’s true story, Punch doesn’t deal in easy answers, instead peeling back the layers of guilt, grief, and the possibility – however slim – of making things right.
David Shields takes centre stage as Jacob, a working-class Nottingham teenager whose careless punch destroys a life and alters his own forever. Shields delivers a captivating performance, balancing Jacob’s cocky bravado with flashes of uncertainty that gradually deepen into something more profound. Opposite him, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst give nuanced portrayals as the victim’s family, navigating grief, rage, and an uneasy journey toward restorative justice. There’s no grand catharsis here, no perfect resolution – just raw, painful honesty.
A harrowing but hopeful reckoning with the weight of a single act
Supporting them, Shalisha James-Davis, Emma Pallant, and Alec Boaden shift seamlessly between multiple roles, building the world around Jacob with an agility that keeps the play’s momentum razor-sharp. Each transition serves a purpose, reinforcing how every act of violence exists within a wider web of social structures, personal histories, and moral reckonings. These performances ensure that the play never feels static, keeping the audience immersed in Jacob’s rapidly shifting world, where each decision has rippling effects.
The play doesn’t just explore justice in the legal sense – it digs into the human need for closure, for something that feels like fairness, even when nothing can truly undo the past. It asks difficult questions about who deserves redemption, how we process remorse, and whether true atonement is ever possible, making the audience complicit in considering their own moral boundaries.
Adam Penford’s direction ensures that every silence is loaded, every exchange brimming with tension. The Young Vic’s intimate space amplifies this effect, pulling the audience into the heart of Jacob’s turmoil. The play’s pacing is sharp, never letting the weight of its themes drag the momentum. Scenes shift seamlessly between past and present, reinforcing the inescapability of the central event.
Anna Fleischle’s stripped-back set design keeps the focus where it belongs – on the performances. The minimalist aesthetic allows the emotional intensity to take centre stage, avoiding unnecessary distractions. Robbie Butler’s lighting and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite’s sound design underscore the play’s shifting emotional beats, using subtle but effective shifts to bridge reality and reflection. The interplay between light and shadow heightens the tension, while the soundscape provides a near-constant pulse of unease, grounding the production in realism.
Final Thoughts ★★★★★
Would I recommend Punch? Absolutely. Graham’s writing is as sharp as ever, tackling the thorny nature of justice with nuance and precision. But this isn’t just a play about crime and consequence – it’s about what comes after. Can remorse ever be enough? Can change be real, or does the past forever define us? Punch doesn’t tell us. It just leaves us with the questions, lingering long after the final moment.
This is theatre that refuses to be tidy, refuses to let you sit comfortably. It unsettles, it provokes, and most of all, it stays with you – like a bruise that won’t quite fade. And perhaps, in that discomfort, Punch does what it sets out to do – making us question not just Jacob’s fate, but our own capacity for understanding, forgiveness, and change.
Playing at the Young Vic until 26 April 2025.
Disclaimer: Ticket was purchased without any association or endorsement from the theatre.
