NEWS: West End transfer of Punch announced

KPPL Productions, Mark Gordon Pictures and Eilene Davidson Productions present the Nottingham Playhouse production of Punch in association with the Young Vic and Nica Burns. Punch will open at the Apollo Theatre on 22 September. Based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne, Punch ignited discussions across the country from theatres to courthouses to the House of Commons. The original production at Nottingham Playhouse was sponsored by Nottingham Trent University.

★★★★★ 

‘Another state-of-the-nation masterpiece from James Graham’

Lindsay Johns, The Telegraph

 ★★★★★ 

‘James Graham’s most moving work yet’

Dominic Maxwell, The Times

The ‘powerful’ (Mail on Sunday) production, for which David Shields won the 2024 UK Theatre Award for Best Performance, brings Jacob Dunne’s real-life story to the stage, directed by Nottingham Playhouse Artistic Director, Adam Penford. It will open at the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited 10-week run playing from Monday 22 September to Saturday 29 November 2025, with an Opening Night charity performance on Friday 26 September.

Jacob Dunne, a teenager from Nottingham, spends his Saturday nights seeking thrills with his friends. One fateful evening, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After serving prison time, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life. A powerful true story of hope, humanity, and the possibility of change.

The original cast comprising of Alec Boaden (Masters of the Air) as Raf/DS Villers/Sam, Julie Hesmondhalgh (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Coronation Street) as Joan/Nan, Tony Hirst (Coronation Street, Boiling Point) as David/Derek/Tony/Raf’s Dad, Shalisha James-Davis (I May Destroy You, Romeo and Juliet) as Clare/Nicola, Emma Pallant (Cowbois, Queenie) as Wendy/Sandra/Jacob’s Mum, and David Shields (Black Mirror) as Jacob will reprise their roles in the West End.

Adam Penford, Director and Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse, said:

“It’s been an honour developing this play over the last few years with the incredibly talented James Graham. We’re both proudly from Nottingham and it’s a credit to the team at Nottingham Playhouse that this homegrown production continues to gather pace. The story of redemption and hope moves audiences in a way that only theatre can. To witness an audience collectively holding their breath, laugh and cry together, is an unforgettable experience.

“I’m so pleased that more people will get the opportunity to see the outstanding original cast. I want to thank the West End producers for their support, particularly their dedication to ensuring the community and charitable work offstage remains just as important as the work onstage. I also wanted to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Joan, David and Jacob, and all the real-life people who appear in the play, for their generosity and trust.”

James Graham, Playwright, said today:

“The honour and responsibility of telling Jacob, Joan and David’s story, and witnessing the impact their real-life journey has on audiences night on night – in Nottingham, and at the Young Vic – I can honestly say it makes Punch one of the most moving and meaningful plays I’ve ever had the privilege to create. Having a further opportunity to see this Nottingham story on a national and now global stage is also, on a personal level, a deeply moving and surprising turn of events. 

“We want Punch to grab audiences and entertain them, but we’re also pleased to see it contributing to wider conversations about justice and masculinity. In the last week alone we visited Parliament to introduce the issues of Punch to lawmakers, and led a screening and Q&A at HMP YOI as part of a Taking Part project from the Young Vic Theatre, KPPL Productions and Untold Creative Training. I’m grateful to our producers for their wider advocacy, to Adam Penford, and to our incredible cast.”

Kate Pakenham, Producer, also commented:

“Phyllida, Mark, Eilene and I feel hugely privileged to be bringing James Graham’s extraordinary play, Punch, to the Apollo Theatre this autumn. Audiences have shown their need for this story being told in the theatre with standing ovations every performance in Nottingham and now at the Young Vic.

“Great storytelling – Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Adolescence as examples – can change the national, and even international, conversation around urgent issues of the moment. Punch does the same, asking profound questions about who we are to one another and offering a story of immense hope about our capacity for kindness. It is thrilling to be able to bring the production to the West End as it opens simultaneously on Broadway. This will be a trans-Atlantic theatre event of an important and hugely relevant play.

“In recognition of the very special nature of this play and production, the West End producers have committed that any producer profit will be used to provide future access to Punch for young people.

“We present the play in honour of the incredible people at the centre of the story, with our deepest respect for them all, and in memory of James Hodgkinson.”

Opening on Broadway simultaneously, Punch will also be playing at the Samuel J Friedman Theatre this autumn, produced by Manhattan Theatre Club. Performances at the Young Vic continue until 26 April 2025.

The West End production will build on the significant education and partnership work around the production at Nottingham Playhouse and at the Young Vic.

This will include post-show conversations with special guests every Tuesday night of the run, performances for school and special interest groups curated by charity partner Go Live Theatre, and the creation of a free learning pack available to all offering insights into the themes of the play and the making of the production. Further detail around these and other initiatives will be announced in due course.

This production is dedicated to James Hodgkinson and all victims of one-punch.

Tickets are now on sale.