Fittingly, the production debuted at Nottingham Playhouse and now transfers to London for an extended outing. Such is the immense work-rate of the non-stop, quick-change cast that it comes as something of a surprise to realise that there are only six of them. In the frantic flurry of short scenes that form the first half, the actors play such a spinning Catherine wheel of characters that it occasionally feels like an exhausting challenge to get a firm handle on everything.
Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst in ‘Punch’ (Photo: Marc Brenner) square THEATRE REVIEWS Cate Blanchett blazes on stage in The Seagull
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Hesmondhalgh brings her usual pragmatic bluffness to the part, which certainly helps to move the story along. “I’m becoming someone James wouldn’t know, maybe wouldn’t even like,” says Joan eventually, and from here the narrative shifts into an almost unbelievably moving story about restorative justice. In the climactic scene, which packs an almighty punch in all the right ways, Jacob, Joan and David sit together in a room and we marvel anew at the unfathomable depths of human resilience.
Anchoring everything, as it should, is a magnificent central performance from Shields. At first, Jacob is all wired energy, then shoulder-shrugging taciturnity. In that vital meeting with James’s parents, his acting is all about his eyes: looking directly at Joan and David is not a possibility at first, meaning sideways glances prevail. Eventually, he manages a straight gaze and in that moment a life gradually begins to turn around.
To 26 April, Young Vic Theatre, London (020 7922 2922, youngvic.org)
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