Punch: The Play That Put Nottingham On The Map! šā¤ļøš
- Mar 31
- 9 min read
Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. In this blog I will be talking about the time I went to see Punch at The Nottingham Playhouse on 28th March 2026 with some of my friends from The Actors Workshop Nottingham.
Written by James Graham, directed by Aam Penford and casted by Christopher Worrall, this tells the true story of Jacob Dunne, who after one punch changed his life forever, this story sees him going through restorative justice and redemption to turn his life around, using it to help others not make the same mistake he did.Ā Also check out the amazing creative and production team who made the show come to life as seem below!
How Iām going to do this review is based off of my own research as well, as before the show I didnāt know much about Jacobās backstory to get to where he is today, but through the show I managed to get an insight into what happened, as if Iām going on this journey with him. So I will be talking about each character as if I met the actual people from the story.Ā
Jack James Ryan took on the role of Jacob Dunne. After seeing him on Coronation Street, I knew he would go on to achieve great things, and this show was one of them. I could see he really did his homework, and I canāt imagine how much time he needed to make into rehearsing all of that dialogue. What I got through his performance was that deep down Jacob was a good person deep down, but just Ā got into the wrong crowd at the wrong time when he took us on a story of his childhood and school life. But his journey to redeeming himself after what happened was an example of how you take a negative into a positive. I donāt know if Jacob Dunne himself was part of the casting team, but I definitely think heād be proud of Jackās performance, doing his story justice and raising awareness to not let anyone make the mistake he did.Ā
Along with his friends and members of a support group, the rest of the cast multi-roles other characters, each having an impact in Jacob's life. So what Iāll do is Iāll mention the name of the actor, which main roles they played and what they tell me about how they impacted Jacob's life.Ā
Laura Tebbutt took on the role of Jacobās mum, Wendy, group leader Sandra and a news reporter. When taking on the role of his mum, you could see the change in her presence following the ordeal Jacob did. When telling about his story, you could see that she was that typical embarrassing mother, something Iām sure we can all relate to, and the next a person whoās struggling to stay afloat after the events of Jacob's actions. This tells me that his mum was someone who raised him well, so I can see why she was confused of the events that happened. And when she passed, I could see the affect it had on Jacob, and as someone who lost their mum at a young age, it very nearly made me cry as well. When she was Wendy, she was someone who during his time in prison and afterwards, helped Jacob get back on his feet and coming to terms with what happened. This character tells me that whilst she acknowledged that Jacob was there for a reason, she used a gentle approach to help him get back on his feet, particularly when meeting the Hodgkinson's in act 2. If it wasnāt for people like Wendy, I think there would still be some tension between him and the family. Laura also took on the role of support group leader Sandra, who was your typical expressive and spontaneous leader. Mind you, something like this was better than the alternative, which was being with someone horrible. She also took on the role of a BBC reporter at the end of the play, and her professional presence and rhythm of her dialogue really brought it to life.Ā
Elan Butler took on the role of Sam, Jacob's brother, Raf, Jacobs friend, and DS Villiers. Through Elan's performance, I could imagine what Sam was feeling when all of this was happening to his brother, along with revealing a personal journey of his own. But I liked how Jacob was accepting of his personal secret, knowing that following tragic news from a family perspective, he is the only family he more or less has. And I also liked how Sam made a joke about how heās doing his exams the same year that Jacob was retaking his, as it was a nice way to find some light into a sensitive topic. When he took on the role of Raf, I definitely noticed a subtle difference in character change. I donāt know if Raf was the name ofĀ Jacob's friend in real life, but he was an example of who your true friends are in a situation like this. In this case, Raf left Jacob to face it all on his own, which I think was wrong. But I guess if it wasnāt for this moment, Jacob wouldnāt be where he was today. Elan ask took on the role of DS Villeiers, who first arrested Jacob, and I liked his authoratitive side, showing that a job role like a DS needs to know whoās in charge, but finding the balance of not being too strict.Ā
Grace Hodgett Young took on the roles of Clare, Jacob's love interest, and Nicola, who was in charge of The Restorative Justice system. Through Graceās performance, I got to know Clare really well, and it tells me that regardless of what Jacob had done, she was always there for him, even when his mum passed away. I also liked how she was an nurse through her hard work and determination, and I think he let work ethic was something I think made Jacob attracted to her. If it wasnāt for Clare, I donāt think Jacob would be the man he was today. She also took on the role of Nicola, who helped the Hodgkinson's with their restorative justice system. This character tells me that she had a tough job on her hands when wanting to help them, and also seeing Jacob build his life back up and sensing that he is taking responsibility for what happened. I also liked how she was there to support both sides during the meeting, resembling the job description in itself. She also took on the role of one of Jacobās teachers, who had to break the news to his mum about something which I found surprising as it strongly linked to me. I wonāt say what as I want anyone reading this to see for yourself or those who have seen it guess what it was, but Clare did a really great job of bringing the simple elements of a teacher to life. Her posture, how she spoke, her knowledge of teaching, and I think she was brilliant at all three of those roles!
Matthew Flynn took on the roles of David, Sam Hodgkinson's dad, Rafās dad, teacher Derek, and night club manager Tony. For David, what Iāve learnt through Matthewās performance was that he wanted to get justice like Joan, and didnāt always agree her approach to getting answers. But he knew deep down that they needed answers one way or another for the sake of their son, so like a brilliant husband he is, stood by her throughout the whole process. I also learnt about how honest David was about if he approached Jacob on the night James was killed, and how he refused to shake his hand due to being it the one to essentially do bad things with it. Despite David not forgiving Jacob completely (which is understandable due to it being his son), but I admire how he accepts that Jacob turned his life around, and still supports Joan when she and Jacob use their trauma to help those in need. Matthew really gave me a true insight to Davidās mindset. He also took on the role of college teacher Derek, who was the complete opposite of David, showing some versatility. I donāt know if Derek was Jacobās teacher in real life, but itās people like him who help people like Jacob get back on their feet, and his quirky personality was a nice way to balance the show given the theme of it. He also took on the role of Rafās dad, who along with his son heavily influenced the decisions Jacob made. He also took on the role of nightclub manager Tony, who like with Derek, managed to add light to the sensitive themes of the show, still keeping the audience engaged throughout the story.Ā
Finally, Finty Williams took on the role of Joan, Sam Hodgkinson's mum. After watching Finty in āHere & Nowā (which you can read a review about here: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/here-now-the-show-that-definitely-wasn-t-a-tragedy), I was so impressed by her versatility on playing a role as big as Joan. Abit like with Jacob, I donāt know if the real Joan had involvement in the casting process, but Finty definitely made Joan proud on her side of the story. I also got the sense that Joan was one for not finding the humour (as it is a certain situation), but find ways to make it less stressful. And I think the audience got a laugh by it because I think itās natural in situations like this to be the opposite of how youāre feeling. In this case for Joan, whilst she was secretly stressed, she tried to cover it up with curiosity and simple questions like a biscuit in the meeting with Jacob (which gave me and my friends the giggles, and was a nice way to break the tension). She also took on the role of Jacobs Nan, and I loved her quirky personality. What she said definitely resembled a lot of traits in my Nan, so it was nice to have that character where in a hard hitting story, gives you the light/humour to balance it out, and ask a crucial part in Jacob's story.Ā
During this play we got to see in detail sections of Jacob's life he went through. This included Jacob's transition from childhood until now, breaking the 4th Walk to talk about his youth up to the fatal night in question.Ā We also got to see how Jacob adapted to life in prison cells, and I was intrigued by the description of every single tiny detail that happened. From the type of clothes you wear, go the description of the cell, it gives you a glimpse as to what live in prison looks like. We also got to see the process of Restorative Justice, where it starts with written communication of both sides agree, to eventually meeting the person themselves. I could see why when doing some research, Jacob himself found that scene hard to watch, as knowing you didnāt mean to kill anyone would be hard to explain to the victims family. It also made me feel like I was there with them in the room, and not not just watching it on stage. Thatās when you know itās got you hooked.Ā
I donāt think I have any downsides about the show itself, but more of what was going on in the audience. As a lot of people (including myself abit I hold my hands up) were coughing a lot. Whether it was a bug going around I donāt know, but it didnāt go unnoticed by my friends who came with me. Despite this I managed to enjoy the show amid the coughing (which I tried to do during the noisy moments so no one could hear). I also wasnāt sure if Clare knew about what Jacob had done, as it didnāt state in the play. But from watching it, IāveĀ gathered that whether she knew or not, she could see she was willing to give him a chance after showing genuine remorse for it.Ā
Overall, I would give the show a full house of 5 out of 5. It was powerful, thought provoking, and shows how you can turn a negative into a positive. And now after watching it, I can see why it has had the success it has had.
And that is it for my review of this brilliant show, putting Nottingham on the map. Please be sure to check out the website and Instagram below to get updates on where itās going to next if you havenāt seen it or if you have seen it and want to watch it again, and see other reviews from people who saw it live! Itās on until 4th April at the Nottingham Playhouse before it goes to Leeds and Plymouth. But if youāre reading this after 18th April, keep an eye out on their Instagram and website for updates on the 2027 tour of this show.Ā
Instagram: @punchtheplay
Also check out this mini vlog I made of when I went to see it, and what I got up to before and after the show.
Be sure to let me know after reading this if youāve watched this play and what youāve made of it!Ā Also click the link below to find out more about how you can support this amazing workplace, which include shows coming up, jobs that are listed and for performers out there, how you can get involved in their next projects.
See you soon for another blog. Until next timeā¦
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)Ā
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