Darlington Hippodrome – until Saturday 13th September
Reviewed by Adam Craddock
5*****
I was delighted to be invited along to review the third UK tour of the stage adaption of Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption”, starring TV’s Joe McFadden as the iconic Andy Dufresne. Rather than being based off the legendary film this stage adaptation is based on the original short story from 1982 so there may be some subtle differences if you were expecting to see a like for like copy of the film, but believe me it more than lives up to the legacy set out by Morgan Freeman and co.
Joe McFadden shines as Andy Dufresne, with a very likeable and natural performance. My partner in particular picked up on his portrayal of Dufresne as being on the Autistic Spectrum and said that this was portrayed very naturally indeed. Ben Onkunkwe was brilliant as Ellis “Red”Redding. Onkunkwe was very charming and warm as the iconic character, with some very obvious nods towards Morgan Freeman’s portrayal through his character work, but having enough of his own spin as to not feel like a carbon copy. His command of the audience and comedic timing were perfect. Bravo!
Bill Ward was strong as Warden Stammas, being deliciously seedy and corrupt, but with enough of a charm so as to make you understand how he has managed to keep up his facade. Kenneth Jay was fabulous as Brooksie, with his later scenes being particularly tragic and moving. His last scene in the Shank had myself and my partner on the edge of our seats and this was in no small part down to Jay’s performance. Graham Elwell and Jeffrey Harmer were both strong as Hadley and Entwistle respectively, being brilliantly awful as the corrupt prison guards with a sadistic sense of authority. Sean Kingsley was very good as Bogs Diamond, as was Ashley D Gayle as Rooster. Both had a brilliant screw loose energy but in different ways, with Gayle being completely off his rocker pinging around the stage with his piercing laugh and Kingsley being much more stoic and cold. The scene where Dufresne was assaulted by both in Act 1 was carried out to perfection and really set the tone!
The set design for the production was absolutely perfect, with a cold and clinical feel to the facility and the use of flights to change the scene was very effective. The lighting was spot on, adding a slight feeling of a sepia tone as if you were watching an old film. The sound and costume design were both also absolutely perfect, with the music used in the scene transitions fitting like a glove to the show, you can not have an old school prison drama without a bit of Johnny Cash!
Overall I would recommend seeing this production in the highest regard! As someone who had only seen clips of the film this has me desperate to drive home and stick the DVD on to see what is the same and what is different. The story alone sells the show but combine that with the masterful performances on display and this is a show that cannot be missed.