"Punch" by James Graham.

Nottingham Playhouse.

This play made its' stage debut a couple of years ago in Nottingham, and at the Playhouse. It then went on a nationwide tour, down to the West End and then to America.

"Punch" is one of those plays that come along quite rarely. It's based on the book "Right From Wrong" by Jacob Dunne, which in turn is based on a true event concerning the author of the book. It's also centred at the heart of Nottingham and the true events that happened here, a few years ago.

Anyone who has been brought up in Nottingham, like myself, will know all the street names and pubs mentioned in the play and immediately feel part of the story.

The play tells the true story of how a bereaved mother, Joan Scourfield, helped her son's attacker turn his life around. James Hodgkinson died after a stranger threw a single punch while he was visiting Nottingham to watch a Test match in 2011. His killer, 19-year-old Jacob Dunne, from The Meadows, was jailed for manslaughter.

After a "restorative justice" meeting with Mr Hodgkinson's parents, his mother accepted Dunne's actions had been a "stupid mistake". The couple then encouraged Mr Dunne to go to university, where he achieved a first in criminology.

Put yourself in the shoes of James' mother, Joan; would you be able to be as forgiving as she was to Jacob? In this case, although Ms Scourfield lost her son, she also helped to save Jacob. As you can expect, this play is as emotive as it is powerful.

All, apart from Jack James Ryan who plays Jacob, play various characters as well as their main roles. Coronation Street fans will instantly recognise Jack as another Jacob; Jacob Hay, but this role is a million miles away from the cobbles. David Shields, who played Jacob last, set the bar very high for this character, but Jack has matched Shield's performance. The accent was a more "yardie" Nottingham accent but only to start with because as Jacob went through the restorative justice programme, college and the character maturing, that "street" accent softened to a slightly softer Nottingham accent, showing the maturity gained by the character, which I couldn't quite remember from the original production. 

Jack is on stage most of the time, and at times, with a quick change of the lighting we see comparisons between the young Jacob and the more mature Jacob. Jack's energy levels are off the scale as he darts around the set, painting pictures in your mind of the layout of the Meadows area and the pub crawls. You can see how the "accident" actually affected Jacob, especially with the meetings with his victim's parents, and also with the way that he tentatively turned his life around.

Some theatre snobs often, and I've heard them, berate "soap" stars when taking on a "proper" theatrical stage role, but I have seen so many "soap" stars on the stage and they really show their acting skills. Soaps are as rigorous with their schedules as a theatrical production, and you think that you know the person you see in the corner of your living room, but when you see them on stage, especially in such a hard hitting and emotional role as Jacob, you see a completely different side to the actor, and Jack James Ryan holds nothing back with his portrayal of Jacob Dunne.

Finty Williams plays the part of James' Mother, Joan, as well as Nan. The scene where Joan and her husband finally sit down face to face with Jacob is quite awkward to watch, and the recall of her being in the hospital at her son's final minutes is truly heartbreaking. The forgiving of the "accident" from this strong mother and the empathetic attitude shown to Jacob's mother will also bring a lump to your throat. If you're wondering where you may have heard Finty's name before, she is the daughter of Dame Judi dench and the late Michael Williams, showing that the talent apple never falls far from the tree.

Laura Tebbutt plays Jacob's Mother and Wendy. There are so many scenes here involving Laura that really tug at your heartstrings, and I don't wish to sound flippant at that statement, but you do allow yourself to feel what the characters are feeling, and the scene when Jacob comes back to the new home to his mother is enough to start you off again. 

Matthew Flynn plays Tony, David and Derek. Like the other actors, playing several roles gives an actor chance to play a wide range of emotions and that is so true here. From the drunken vest wearing Father to Jacob, who does not give the best advice to his son, to James' Father. You could not get two Fathers further apart in character and the latter character's emotions flood from the stage. The scene near the end where he offers his hand to Jacob to shake will also get you right in the heart. 

Elan Butler is Raf, Jacob's quite literally partner in crime; a proper Meadows lad, and Sam, Jacob's younger brother. There is a scene when Jacob is talking to his younger brother which reveals different parts of both characters that we did not see before; another emotional scene between the pair comes with a personal confession from Sam to Jacob.

Grace Hodgett-Young is Jacob's girlfriend Clare and Nicola,  the woman assigned as his Restorative Justice person. When you see that Jacob has turned his life around, and is now in a relationship with Clare, and a Father himself to a baby boy, you get a lovely warm feeling from this couple. There's proper Nottingham humour in the scenes with Grace and Jack when they first meet in the pub, which is balanced by Grace's other main role as Nicola as she goes through the procedures of "RJ" with him in a calm and professional manner, always looking out for both parties.

I've known and reviewed Grace locally for the last fifteen or so years, and she still manages to surprise me with her acting skills; this time around though with one of her lesser character's potty mouth. This local lass has done extremely good!

Directed by Adam Penford. This could be possibly the most impactful piece of theatre you've seen, especially as it's a true story. Adam's new choice of cast could not have been better and the blend of laughter, and there's plenty of that in "Punch", with the emotional scenes are as well balanced as a BLT sandwich. Just a beautiful piece of theatre that I noticed has had a few fresh tweaks which has only increased my enjoyment of this gorgeous piece of theatre.

The set is based around a pedestrian subway in The Meadows, where Jacob grew up and designed by Anna Fleischle. If you're old enough to remember Maid Marian Way's subways leading to a concrete circle, then that is what the main section is reminiscent of. It also rises on both sides, bridging over the subway setting.

Lighting design is by Robbie Butler. This plays a big part of the play, giving dramatic effect to the dramatic storyline, taking you from the bright settings of the pub/clubs of town, to the shady subway streets and back alleys of The Meadows area. The lighting cues are cut to perfection. 

Sound design is by Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, who also composed the original music for the play. The whole soundscape of this piece of theatre is a real talking point, especially with the movement sections in the first half where it brings the disbelief of the accident to the fore. The combination of the sound and light design help to highlight the emotions that run high throughout.

Movement Director for "Punch" is Leanne Pinder, and if you saw this show when it was here last, you'll know just how much movement plays a part in this story.

Anita Gilbert is the Voice and Dialect Coach. Us locals don't really notice that we have an accent, but ours is one of the hardest accents to get right for anyone who is not from the area, so I have been told by actors who do not hail from Nottingham. There was a section in one of Jacob's opening speech where the last words of  a couple of the sentences were drawn out, which to me sounded quite Manchester-ish, in the way that the Gallagher Brothers speak.

I try and steer away from terms like "journey" or "rollercoaster" but whatever term you want to use, this play has "it". The change in a person from A to B in their life can sometimes be, literally, life changing, but through understanding and forgiveness, you can change a person's life and future. I don't know if I'd ever be as strong a person as Joan if I were in the same situation, but that just shows the sort of strong person Joan is. Losing a loved one would make a person bitter and angry, which I am sure Joan was at one stage of her grieving process, but her strength and forgiveness has created a person who has turned out to be a true Saviour to many other people who may have found themselves in Jacob's shoes.

This is a play that has the ability to change lives, as its' story has done in the past, and should be seen by as many people, young and old, as possible to get across that message of right and wrong, forgiveness and redemption.

I loved the play when I first saw it, and this time around it was even more impactful, making me love it even more.

"Punch" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 4 April and has a 12+ guidance due to some ripe language, but this play is one not to miss out on.