PUNCH
American Premiere
Punch
Written by James Graham
Based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne
Featuring Camila Canó-Flaviá, Victoria Clark, Will Harrison, Cody Kostro, Piter Marek, Sam Robards, and Lucy Taylor
Directed by Adam Penford
Presented in association with Nottingham Playhouse
Previews begin September 9, 2025
Opening Night September 29, 2025
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC)—Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, and Chris Jennings, Executive Director—is pleased to announce the complete casting for the American premiere of James Graham’s Punch.
Punch centers around Jacob, a young man who makes a fatal mistake that lands him in prison. But as he struggles to accept the consequences of his actions and build a new life, he finds an unusual source of salvation: the parents of the boy he killed.
Two-time Tony Award winner and five-time Tony nominee Victoria Clark (Broadway: The Snow Geese at MTC, Kimberly Akimbo, The Light in the Piazza) joins the production as the victim’s mother, Joan, and appears alongside Cody Kostro (Broadway: Six Degrees of Separation) as Raf/Sam and Piter Marek (Broadway: Cyrano de Bergerac) as Tony/Derek/DS Villers.
The previously announced cast features Camila Canó-Flaviá (Broadway: Network, Patriots) as Clare/Nicola, Will Harrison (Film: A Complete Unknown; TV: “Daisy Jones & The Six,” “Manhunt”) as Jacob, Sam Robards (Film: A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, American Beauty; Broadway: The 39 Steps, MTC’s Absurd Person Singular) as David/Raf’s Dad, and Lucy Taylor (Broadway: Betrayal) as Mum/Wendy.
The creative team for Punch is Anna Fleischle (Scenic and Costume Design), Robbie Butler (Lighting Design), Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (Original Music & Sound Design), Leanne Pinder (Movement Director), Ben Furey (Dialect Coach), Charlotte Fleck (Dialect Coach), Caparelliotis Casting & Kelly Gillespie (Casting), and Richard A. Hodge (Production Stage Manager).
Two-time Olivier Award winner James Graham (Labour of Love, Dear England; TV: “Sherwood”) returns to MTC where his Olivier-nominated play Ink received six Tony Award nominations in 2019, including Best Play. Punch, based on the book Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne, earned ecstatic five-star reviews when it premiered last year at the Nottingham Playhouse in the UK, in a production directed by Adam Penford. It has been hailed as “James Graham’s most moving work yet,” by The Times, “a story that needs to be told” by The Independent and “another state-of-the-nation masterpiece from James Graham” by The Telegraph.
In a rare occurrence, Punch will play simultaneously on Broadway and in London’s West End this fall. Both productions are directed by Adam Penford. MTC’s Broadway production will start previews on Tuesday, September 9 and open Monday, September 29 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).
Adam Penford returns to Broadway, having previously been the Associate Director on the Tony Award-winning One Man, Two Guvnors. Punch is presented in association with Nottingham Playhouse, where Penford serves as Artistic Director.
Major support for Punch is provided by Ned Lustbader.