18th-century prostitutes taking part in boxing matches is certainly not your run of the mill theatre. Punching Jane, written by Jessica Farley and Ed Young (Tiny Dog Productions) demonstrates phenomenal acting talent by the female cast and moments of enthralling physicality; however, as an overall production there are few memorable ‘punches.’

The script is promising; the seedy life of an 18th-century prostitute is provocative and there are plenty of opportunities for the actors to really explore their characters, as much of the dialogue is anecdotal.  The scenes of violence are creatively choreographed and impressively executed; in fact, their infrequency was the largest downfall. Further fight scenes would have added to the drama of the play; instead, the repetitive dialogue and crass humour worked against the tension that was ignited from the opening punch.

The explosive first scene combined with the building tension of the entire first segment dissipated into a meandering mess. Wherein, the ailments of the prostitutes, although compelling in theory, actuate into stale conversations that failed to inspire much of a reaction.

Sadly, the male actors were frail and lacklustre in comparison to the women. If this were a considered method of marking the gutsy tendencies of the women in spite of their social stasis, then the shy male performances may be forgiven.  The fact that Thomas (Ed Young) is meant to be the cause of much of the household’s malcontent it is a shame his performance was not more forceful, in fact, I had trouble hearing much of it.

The Dropkick Murphys were elected as the accompanying soundtrack to many of the scenes. This seemed an odd musical choice that ripped you right out of the drama on stage – you became all too aware of watching a production.

One of Punching Jane’s successes was in the indisputable sisterhood of the four women on stage.  The actors (some having studied together at East 15 drama school) delivered lively performances that had nuance and charm.  They had a fine balance between cinematic subtlety and theatricality that worked effectively on the intimate Courtyard stage. Kayleigh Hawkins (Mary) and Jinny Lofthouse (Molly) delivered particularly sophisticated performances.  Jessica Farley and Ed Young wrote a slew of strong female characters that are a credit to their writing talent. Molly, a runaway from a psychiatric institution, was a thoroughly endearing character and perhaps the most worthy of audience investment.

The female actors worked exceedingly well as a core team and for much of the play I found my eye wondering to the female couplets that were conspiring in whispers as opposed to the action in the forefront.

The sinister, seedy and downright sad world of these 18th century prostitutes is best explored through the divine acting chops of the female cast.  The lack of narrative progression, deficient romantic chemistry between prospective lovers and over-dependency on base humour to explore prostitution rendered the production a little short of its potential.  As the awkward curtain call suggested, the play failed to make impact.

Punching Jane is playing at the Courtyard Theatre until 29 June. For more information and tickets, see the Courtyard Theatre website.