One Punch – HOME, Manchester

Writer: Jane Thornton and Martha Godber

Director: Jane Thornton

One punch, one second, lives changed forever. Two lads go out on the town, only one comes back. This fast-paced 60 minute three-hander is a fictional tale inspired by and closely mirroring real life events. Created in close collaboration with One Punch Hull – a charity dedicated to raising awareness of the prevalence and danger of one punch attacks, One Punch tells the tragic story of Reece – a friend, son, partner and father to a young daughter. His final day is revealed to us by the three paramedics who attend to Reece in the aftermath of the attack and who ultimately fail to save his life. One Punch is as much about them as it is about Reece, a vital reminder of the pressure and trauma regularly faced by frontline emergency responders and NHS staff.

Written by Jane Thornton and Martha Godber, One Punch is an hour-long roller coaster which descends steeply from the heart-warming to the heart-wrenching. Employing rhyming dialogue and a snappy episodic structure, the show hurtles along, the joy and vivacity of earlier scenes forever shadowed by the inevitable, inescapable outcome. The three paramedics (Ellis Basford, Camille Hainsworth Staples and George Reid) leap effortlessly between roles, with a standout performance from Reid, who demonstrates a near chameleonic transition between characters – as believable playing a grieving father in his 50s as he is an intoxicated young man serving up chat up lines in a nightclub.

The one moment where this production falters is a brief section of choreography. A movement sequence signifies the moment the fatal punch is thrown. While effective in showing the gravity of events that can emerge from a split second decision, it feels drawn out and would benefit from being shorter. The message of One Punch is vitally important and plans are in place to take it to schools – where it’s possible an extended and incongruous moment of interpretive dance might alienate a young audience, lifting them out of the story at its most pivotal moment.

A heart-breaking reminder of the fragility of life and the ease with which it can be taken away. One Punch is a poignant legacy to lives that have been lost and a beacon of hope that future ones can be saved. A pertinent and important reminder of One Punch Hull’s core message – “Stop. Think. Walk away”.

Runs until 15 February 2025