Redemption and Runarounds

James Graham’s play Punch, as directed by Adam Penford, is a very, very British work: it’s sturdily acted, choreo-directed within an inch of its life and shot through with a sense of community only a country with a hearty pub culture and universal healthcare could achieve. It is also, despite the production’s evident desire to land with the force of its title, a surprisingly tender and unpretentious story at odds with its battering ram approach.