By Matthew Wexler
Punch, a gripping new play based on Jacob Dunne’s memoir, Right From Wrong, implodes a singular, deadly act into a million shattered pieces, then pieces it back together with the care and precision of a surgeon.
But doctors couldn’t save James Hodgkinson, whose head hit the concrete outside of a Nottingham pub as a result of Jacob’s unprovoked punch. His needless death prompts a profound reckoning through a carefully implemented restorative justice initiative that connects the teen perpetrator with the victim’s parents: an unthinkable relationship that transforms rage and grief into empathy.
James Graham’s play, beautifully directed by Adam Penford and further grounded in Leanne Pinder’s dynamic movement, time jumps between Jacob’s reflective and real-time experiences. This momentum fuels a story in which the audience is aware of the factual outcome from the outset.
Will Harrison plays Jacob, a troubled teen raised in The Meadows Housing Estate, which he describes as a “big, old social experiment… that basically fucking failed.” Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, the twisted roads, underpasses, cul-de-sacs, and inward-facing buildings mirror Jacob’s mind. Detention outweighs any substantive therapeutic or educational initiatives, forecasting an outcome as inevitable as a Greek tragedy.
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As the victim’s parents, Victoria Clark and Sam Robards walk a fine line, avoiding pathos and instead leaning into the urgency of trying to understand and eventually accept the outcome of a senseless crime. Beyond Harrison, whose riveting performance expands and contracts with teetering abandon, ensemble members embody multiple roles with physical fluidity, vocal inflection, and dialects.
When faced with the horrific decision to take his son off life support, James’ father asks, “How long does it take, normally? For a heart to stop?” The metaphor persists throughout Punch as strangers become intertwined, holding on to the hope that, despite a senseless act of violence, the heart finds reasons to keep beating.
Fast facts: ‘Punch’
Based on Jacob Dunne’s memoir, Punch transforms one teen’s deadly mistake into a powerful meditation on justice, grief, and forgiveness.
- Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W 47th Street, New York City
- Running time: Two hours with one intermission
- Performances through November 2, 2025
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