The ultimate tale of redemption – but with a lacklustre ending

PORTRAYING one of the nation’s favourite movies and one of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time was always going to be a tough challenge, but the stage version of Shawshank Redemption certainly does the thrilling story justice.

Based on the 1982 short novel by Stephen King and the award-winning 1994 film directed by Frank Darabont, the play tells the story of a banker, Andy Dufrense who is sentenced to life for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his desperate claims of innocence.

As part of the production’s UK tour, the stage of Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre was transformed into a dark, dingy and minimalistic representation of the fictional Shawshank State Penitentiary. 

The gloomy lighting, clever use of props and the cast’s excellent portrayal of the characters really brought the prison setting to life, kept the audience on the edge of their seats, and reflected the themes of injustice, prison brutality, friendship and most importantly, hope. 

The cast – Paul Nicholls as Andy Dufrense, Jack Ellis as the Warden and Ben Onwukwe as Ellis ‘Red’ Redding – maintained authentic American accents and commanded the stage with their presence throughout. 

The former Eastenders’ actor, who played Andy’s character to a tee, really portrayed his frustration and desperation to escape, especially after the murder of the one person who could testify his innocence. 

The music was mainly reminiscent of the 40s – echoing the era in which the story is set – and yet sinister and menacing at times.

The script was fairly accurate to the film, word for word in most parts, although there was an additional bit of scripted banter among the prisoners to lighten the dark themes of the play.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to the gang rape scene, but the brutality of it was implicated well by the acting, lighting and Red’s saddening narration. 

However the abrupt ending worked less well. In the film you feel that justice has been served to the guards and the warden of the prison, however in the play it left on a rather flat note. 

The end scene massively lacked the twists, turns and general impact of the film – however, this is probably down to the difficult nature of depicting the scandal and a man blowing his brains out on stage.