A man is imprisoned for two murders he didn’t commit. That’s a sound theatrical premise, but the stage version of
The Shawshank Redemption with its cast of 12 men struggles to make it dramatic. A long build up introduces the two seeds of power in the stone-walled Shawshank Penitentiary: the warden (played by a shouty Bill Ward) whose duplicitous word is law, and inmate Rooster (Ashley D Gayle) who rapes new prisoners to assert his dominance as part of ‘the Sisters’ gang.
Ben Onwukwe delivers a spirited performance as Red, the narrator who guides the audience through the story. He’s the fixer who can get nearly any contraband smuggled into the prison for a price, including new prisoner Andy Dufresne’s unusual request. Joe McFadden gets to grips with Dufresne’s smiley smart aleck nature, unafraid to stand up to authority, but also keen to court favour in return for perks by offering advice on sound financial investments and tax efficiency to the screws.
The oldest inmate, librarian Brooksie, is hampered by Kenneth Jay’s soft voice having to compete with the venue’s air conditioning. Northern Ireland-born designer Gary McCann’s set captures the gloomy environs with simple walls dropping in to shift the action out of the communal area and into the warden’s office, Dufresne’s cell, and the library that’s been fashioned out of the old paint story.
Friendships are tough, trust is fickle, and some inmates are poorly prepared for life on the outside (assuming a parole board feels they measure up to a shifting definition of rehabilitation). Although important to the show’s title, actual ‘redemption’ is fleeting, perhaps most fully seen in how the prison system is overhauled when the warden’s abuses eventually come to light.
While the two final reveals bring the tale to a satisfying conclusion – the concluding ‘set’ change making up for most of the audience already expecting the first surprise in Dufresne’s cell – the act of telling this story on stage feels like it’s paying homage to the popular film rather than the genre adding anything new to the impact of the tale.
The Shawshank Redemption is adapted by Owen O’Neill and David Johns from Stephen King’s 1982 novella
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and has more than a few nods to
the 1994 film and, in particular, Morgan Freeman’s portrayal as Red. The play’s linear structure is faithful but ultimately unexciting. In the time it takes to watch The Shawshank Redemption on stage, you could complete reading the novella or watch the film.
The Shawshank Redemption continues its run at the Grand Opera House until Saturday 4 October. The UK and Ireland tour continues until the middle of next year, with performances in Dublin in April.
Photo credits: Jack Merriman
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