REVIEW: The Shawshank Redemption – Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Like the 1994 film, often regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, writers Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns have taken Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption as the basis for their 2013 play. While having to consider the limitations of bringing a work to the stage, die hard fans of the film will be delighted to know that in doing so, it sticks pretty faithfully to the movie version.
Starting in the early 50s and set over a period of twenty years in the maximum-security Shawshank Penitentiary, it tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Joe McFadden) a mild-mannered banker wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover, through the eyes of prison smuggler and multiple murderer, Ellis ‘Red’ Redding (Ben Onwukwe). It details the actions of Dufresne and how they affect the lives of everyone he encounters during his decades-long incarceration.
Setting the scene is Gary McCann’s leaden grey set which perfectly evokes the oppressive prison surroundings, creating a grim air of claustrophobia and providing a stark contrast to the story’s famous ending. It cleverly uses music to represent the passage of time.
McFadden’s Dufresne has a quiet, dignified resilience with a quirky, subversive edge, and the always-watchable, hugely talented Onwukwe delivers a charismatic performance filled with wonderful fine detail and gesture as the no-nonsense Red, while Bill Ward turns in a chiller as the steely, controlled Warden Stammas. There are a brace of fine performances in support of the trio with only a few wobbles with accents and projection.
It is inevitable that comparisons will be made with the movie version and judgements made in comparison to Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s iconic performances, but this production whole-heartedly stands up to that. While most of the harrowing narrative survives, moments have inevitably been watered down and the unbearable tension that pervades the film is a little less oppressive here, it remains thoroughly gripping throughout.
Runs until 28 March 2026| Image: Jack Merriman
