Brought to tears by the true story of a tragedy in Nottingham
MAKING its world premiere at Nottingham Playhouse, Punch tells the story of Jacob Dunne, a young man from The Meadows who killed a stranger, James Hodgkinson, with a single punch in 2011.
Over the course of two hours, the audience is taken on a journey from Jacob’s childhood through to the events of that adrenaline-fuelled night in Nottingham’s Old Market Square and its tragic consequences. On his release from prison, Jacob is lost, until he agrees to meet Joan and David, the parents of his victim, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst.
The play is adapted from Jason Dunne’s book Right from Wrong by multiple award-winning local writer James Graham, who brought the mining drama Sherwood to our TV screens.
David Shields gave a superb performance as Jacob, deftly moving the character from gangster to a campaigner. He was wonderfully supported by Emma Pallant,
Shalisha James-davis, Hirst, Hesmondhalgh and Alex Boaden. Each time Hesmondhalgh and Hirst entered the stage I just wanted to go and give them a hug.
The music choices helped create the atmosphere as the fast-paced play jumped back and forward in time, with flashbacks and reflections, and whenever it cut to James’ parents the audience was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with the tension steadily building throughout.
With a simple set and adaptable costumes the story was really brought to life and by the end most of the audience had shed a few tears.
It was truly chilling to hear about how it all happened, but despite being such a serious topic the play also remained relatable, with Nottingham slang and jokes to raise some laughs.
The Nottinghamshire links throughout helped to convey the reality of situation, and how this all happened to a real group of people more than a decade ago.
It was also lovely to see a tribute notice when entering the theatre dedicating the production to the real James. It was the sort of play that leaves people thinking afterwards and is heartbreakingly brilliant.