Victoria Clark on Broadway

 When she teaches a writing class, Alice McDermott often tells a kid, "This is actually not your story. The strange little gremlin who appears on page five for one paragraph? The one who sells dentures? THAT should be the focus of your story."

Watching the new Broadway play "Punch," I couldn't help but think of Alice McDermott. The focus of "Punch" is a young man named Jacob--but this is a somewhat cliched choice. Jacob is not actually all that interesting--despite a strong performance by Will Harrison. Jacob makes a dumb choice--by punching a stranger--but this is no dumber than driving aggressively or cheating slightly on your taxes. It's just by accident that the victim lands on a hard wedge of concrete (and later dies).

Jacob has been somewhat passive in his life--and the passivity persists. He participates in restorative justice, not because of his own wish, but because the opportunity is "pitched" to him. He begins speaking out about violence--not because of a personal vision, but because someone makes the request. Jacob's story feels predictable.

By contrast, someone in this play is active and extraordinary. It's the mom of the victim; her name is Joan. When Joan loses her son, she responds in an understandable way--by agitating for a harsh, punitive judgment. She wants *more* prison time for Jacob. But, as the months unfold, something shifts. Joan finds herself writing to--and thinking about--Jacob. She is sad to learn that Jacob's mom has died. She becomes curious about Jacob's future: what will this young man do after his term is up? I think few people in Joan's situation would spend time worrying about this question. Fewer still would *ask* the question in writing.

Joan's transformation is fascinating, but we don't get to understand her. That's because the script spends almost all of its time on Jacob. In the role of Joan, the director is lucky to have Victoria Clark, recently described as "permanent Broadway royalty" because of her "generational" contribution to "Kimberly Akimbo." (I'm not sure what "generational" means in this context. I think the correct adjective would be "era-defining.") I understand why Clark picked this new role. It looks good on paper. Clark makes a "meal" of certain moments--forgetting the word "punitive," confusing it with "Pontchartrain," screaming (beautifully) at an innocent nurse, sharing her thoughts on Ovaltine. But there's only so much you can do if you're handed an unfinished script. And this is an unfinished script.

Expect a Tony nomination for Harrison--but don't expect more. This show will not have an extended run.