MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB TO STREAM "PUNCH" DURING FINAL WEEK OF PERFORMANCES
Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM
Wednesday, October 29 at 1:00 PM
Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00 PM
Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 PM
Friday, October 31 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, November 1 at 2:00 PM
Saturday, November 1 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 PM
Akin to marionettes tightly connected by a single string, the Punch cast moves with the precision of the best ballet. With a millisecond snap of an imagined conductor’s baton (Director: Adam Penford; Movement Director Leanne Pinder), they spring into a raucous drugs and drinking crowd, gang violence, or whatever the music of the script calls for.
It is not music actually, but rather an aria-of-words—as dramatic as the most dramatic of opera solos— delivered in perfect Nottingham pitch, accent and cadence by super-magnet lead Will Harrison.
Harrison is playing Jacob (Dunne), author of the book Right from Wrong, which Punch is based on. He is swagger personified, first introducing us to a Projects-like setting in Nottingham we can see surrounding the bridge where he is perched. But this is actually a Jacob who is looking back to bring his reality from then to now—
“…And I’m not even proper high yet, seriously! That’s all to come. I’m just kind of hyper, you
know, itching for some-… some fucking… ‘action’.
‘Drama’. We call it…”
Drama is indeed what he and we get when he delivers the titular Punch that kills a man whom he doesn’t really know. Off to the youth penitentiary he goes.
And in another universe not far away, the parents of the slain young man are meeting their bottomless grief.
Lighting brings the Nottingham backdrop into view from time to time, but mainly it is a stark semi-circular staircase and Plain Jane folding chair props. In this bare bones setting emotions seem to swirl all the more dramatically.
Stellar Performances and Direction Make PUNCH a Must-See
During Act I, James Graham’s script takes many detours to fill in the back story of the action. At one moment we see the vulnerable dyslexic little boy whose mother recently learned he was on the spectrum. We are with Jacob when the allure of the drug world gives him an escape he craves from his existence as a lonely fatherless boy.
“…Which means I … have to always go farther, drink faster, walk taller. And
most importantly… fight. Fight harder. Harder than anyone else…”
In this reviewer’s opinion, it is the mesmerizing masterclass-worthy performance by Harrison as Jacob that keeps us engaged with the script. He is in-the-moment every moment— from awkward group therapy reveals, to his overwhelming never-look-them-in-the-eye guilt, to his split second decision to accept his outed gay brother, and more.
In addition to Harrison and the tight ensemble work, other top shelf talents fuel this production. When you scan the bar code in the program insert to see pictures of the real world parents of the Jacob’s victim, you too might find yourself finding it difficult to update your mind’s eye picture of the victim’s parents. Victoria Clark and Sam Robards are the parents we have come to know— wearing their roles as a second skin. Though the entire cast gives the script its due, actor Pitor Marek’s quick change from pedantic professor to drug dealer and more has that acting gymnast flexibility you love-at-first-switch.
Manhattan Theatre Club Introduces Us to Restorative Justice
Act I is in your face drama. In the slower second act there is less room for the ensemble to flex its tight muscles, and more room for the audience emotions to flag. Instead, the story proceeds more linearly to demonstrate Restorative Justice at work— where crime victims meet criminals up close and all benefit from the experience of truly knowing others’ realities.
If you too have never heard of restorative justice you will likely find this an easy-to-digest primer. It’s commonly reported that families of murdered victims are only re-traumatized and not relieved by death sentences. Here though, is an alternative cut from the same cloth as South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Project.
Afterwards, expect to ponder—- Would Punch pack so much punch if words like “I will be your retribution” weren’t lingering in the air?
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
WHEN:
September 9 -November 2, 2025
WHERE:
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
NYC
TICKETS:
For more information and tickets visit the Manhattan Theatre Club website.
Photos: Matthew Murphy
CAST:
Victoria Clark, Camila Canó-Flaviá, Will Harrison, Cody Kostro, Piter Marek, Sam Robards, Lucy Taylor.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Written by James Graham
Based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne
Directed by Adam Penford
Click here to read more Picture This Post Manhattan TheatreClub stories.
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
