Broadway’s latest knockout, Punch, lands at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre — and trust me, this one swings hard.
Written by James Graham (Ink, Best of Enemies), the play isn’t just about violence — it’s about redemption. The true story follows 19-year-old Jacob Dunne (played with raw, electric energy by Will Harrison of Daisy Jones & The Six fame), a restless Nottingham kid whose drunken punch kills a man. That single blow sends him from the pub to prison — and eventually, into one of the most unlikely relationships you’ll ever see onstage: with the parents of the man he killed.
Under Adam Penford’s slick, heart-thumping direction, the show starts like a brawl — loud, fast, messy — then slowly transforms into something deeply human. The first half moves like a blur of flashing lights, cheap lager, and bad choices. But when Jacob meets his victim’s parents, played with quiet heartbreak by Tony winner Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo) and Sam Robards, the temperature drops. You could hear a tear hit the carpet.
Clark is stunning — all restraint and ache. Her performance reminds you what forgiveness costs. Robards, steady and understated, brings dignity to a role that could easily feel one-note. Together, they embody grief without spectacle.
The play’s beating heart, though, belongs to Harrison. He doesn’t just act — he detonates. His Jacob is equal parts swagger and shame, a boy hiding inside a man’s mistakes. When he finally admits what he’s done, the entire theater seems to exhale.
Graham’s script, based on Dunne’s memoir Right From Wrong, doesn’t waste time preaching. Instead, it invites you to imagine what you’d do — could you ever forgive the person who killed your child? The result isn’t tidy or sentimental. It’s real.
Visually, Anna Fleischle’s two-level set traps Jacob inside his own world of concrete and regret, while Robbie Butler’s moody lighting burns like guilt itself. Every design choice drives home the claustrophobia of consequence.
Sure, Punch focuses more on Jacob than on the grieving parents — but when the storytelling is this alive, you hardly mind. The show asks impossible questions and doesn’t flinch from the answers.
By the final scene, when forgiveness feels both miraculous and unbearable, you realize Graham isn’t just dramatizing crime and punishment — he’s dramatizing grace.
Punch isn’t a boxing match. It’s a spiritual reckoning. And in a Broadway season full of spectacle, this quiet, devastating play might just be the one that floors you.
— A brutal, beautiful must-see.
Now playing through Nov. 2 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
Rob Shuter is a celebrity journalist, talk-show host, and former publicist who has represented stars including Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Kate Spade, Diddy, Jon Bon Jovi, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Jessica Simpson, and HRH Princess Michael of Kent. He is the author of The 4 Word Answer, a bestselling self-help book blending Hollywood stories with personal breakthroughs. Rob hosts Naughty But Nice with Rob, a top 20 iTunes podcast, and was the only entertainment columnist at The Huffington Post. A veteran of PR and magazines, he also helmed OK! Magazine. Read his latest exclusives at robshuter.substack.com