Malvern Festival Theatre – until 24th September 2022
Reviewed by Julie Bellerby
4****
I was not sure what to expect on reviewing The Shawshank Redemption, this iconic film, would, I assume, be difficult to transfer to the stage. The play is produced by Bill Kenwright, directed by David Esbjornson, designed by Gary McCann and lighting design by Chris Davey who have all surpassed expectation giving the audience a tale of hope, longing, friendship and determination, set in the reality of prison.
A young banker, Andy Dufresne, played by Joe Absolom, is convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover. He is adamant in defending his innocence, but the evidence is overwhelming and he is sentenced to two life sentences in Shawshank Prison. There, he strikes up a friendship with a fellow inmate, Red, known as the “man who knows how to get things” and can get almost anything a prisoner could want from the outside world. Andy approaches Red requesting a rock hammer in order to pick up his old hobby of rock collecting.
The passage of time was shown through songs of the decades, the stage set was simple but very effective, with a constant smoke machine bringing an atmospheric, dingy prison with little space or room for solitude.
A brilliant performance by Ben Onwukwe as Ellis ‘Red’ Redding who also acts as narrator throughout the play and Ben swaps between his scenes and his narration very well.
All actors gave believable performances, Joe Absolom as Andy Dufresne was good, who has a long portfolio of past TV performances to his name, brought the character to life as a misfit in the prison who learned to turn his experiences of Investments to a bargaining tool which gives him some relief from the abuse he receives from inmates.
Brooksie, played by Kenneth Jay, the old librarian, who’s demise was depicted differently from the film, was not as thought provoking as it should have been, dying in a Nursing Home rather than self-hanging in a very lonely world.
The villains, meanwhile, are gang-raping inmates, were so believable and well-acted, is a credit to them, I would not liked to have met them in a dark alley. Jay Marsh, Leigh Jones and Owen Oldroyd particularly give good performances.
The end was a little weak on the set, It would have been better with a little more atmospheric stage set up rather than a small, partial screen showing the ocean, Andy, with his back to the audience, I took a few seconds to register the significance of being re united with Red on a paradise Coast.
This performance received a standing ovation from the Malvern audience, deserved? Most definitely.