A strong visual greets us at the Shawshank Prison followed by authoritative narration which quickly spirals into an uneven and often questionable production based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella, ‘Rita Heyworth and The Shawshank Redemption’.
Bill Kenwright’s production attempts to rejuvenate the charm which has made this a remarkable tale of hope, friendship and injustice, sitting firmly within the canon of popular culture. Recognised as one of the greatest films ever made, the 1994 film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is considered a cult cinematic masterpiece, historically and aesthetically significant. The bulk of the story sits on the shoulders of its two protagonists Ellis ‘Red’ Redding (Ben Onwukwe) and new inmate Andy Dufresne (Joe Absolom). Unfortunately, this friendship lacked warmth and dignity with a lot of choice character decisions and unwarranted outbursts of shouting at each other outweighing the tender moments the script deserved.
It is a given that audience’s opinion and prejudices may compare it to the film, so kudos is given to the creatives who made the decision to make artistic changes in order to adapt it for the stage. The 2009 theatre adaptation by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns has been freshly rewritten for this production as it embarks on its first ever major UK tour.
Banker Dufresne is served with a double life sentence for the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sent to Shawshank Prison, where violence, including sexual violence at the hands of the ‘sisters’ gang led by Bogs Diamond (Leigh Jones), and corruption is rife. An unlikely friendship develops with the prison contraband smuggler, Ellis ‘Red’ Redding, who procures a rock hammer and a large poster of Rita Hayworth for Dufresne, who is all the while, quietly hatching a desperate plan. Dufresne’s financial expertise is taken advantage of by the prison officers and in particular, the financially corrupt Warden Stammas (Mark Heenehan).
Gary McCann’s set design and Chris Davey’s lighting work well in regards to seamless scene changes and staging, particularly the flickering light of the cinema, the brutality of the gang rape blackout and the breath-taking scene change towards the end. Some key scenes could have warranted some variation in the backdrop, such as the roof top scene. The prisoners felt for the first time ‘like free men’ at this point, which could have made more of an impact if a backdrop of a clear sky was presented, slightly out of their reach.
Visually stunning moments include Dufresne’s interaction with a butterfly, encapsulating the metaphorical concepts of freedom. The passage of time is nicely represented by Andy Graham’s sound design with musical interludes reflecting each time period, starting with Bobby Darin through to, and especially wonderful, The Doors and Janis Joplin.
Unfortunately, there are many questionable creative choices, the biggest being the action. It felt mechanical with no immediate sense of threat and very poorly choreographed. Status and interaction between some characters are lost. One minute there are moments of communal banter with the same perpetrators who commit the horrific episodes of violence against Dufresne. The ‘Sisters’ gang should have been segregated to another part of the vast stage. One actor who commanded the stage commendably was Kenneth Jay as Brooksie, who brought warmth yet sadness which had some audience members audibly feeling for him.
Dufresne’s long periods of solitary confinement, a critical testament to the quiet strength of his character and unwavering optimism happened off stage making the punishments fruitless. I also would have welcomed an increased sense of fear and hostility between the men and the prison guards which would have helped raise the stakes in their quest to find some sort of peace and acceptance of their situation.
That all being said, Shawshank Redemption is something that resonated with the audience but unfortunately not with me on this occasion.
You can catch The Shawshank Redemption at Theatr Clwyd Cymru until the 4th March 2023, tickets available here; https://www.theatrclwyd.com/whats-on
Reviewer: Gill Lewis
Reviewed: 27th February 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★