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Shawshank play is ideal for escapists
Veronica Lee 18 Aug 2009
Adapted from Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Oscars.
It’s about successful banker Andy Dufresne who, after being convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, is sent to Shawshank Prison where he endures a cruel and corrupt regime.
He befriends Red, another lifer, and whiles away the time by carving figures out of rocks he finds in the prison yard, and makes himself useful to the guards by giving them financial and tax advice.
All the time, he is making a long-term plan to escape that involves the cunning use of a Rita Hayworth poster ...
The play has been adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns; Kevin Anderson takes the lead role, Reg E Cathey appears as his prison buddy Red and Peter Sheridan directs.
4 Sept 2009-14 Feb 2010 (0844 482 5125, www.theshawshank redemption.co.uk).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (3)
Saw the play last night. Some brilliant actors - Bogs (one of the sisters) in particular really shone. Have to agree with many of the reviews around however - could have been excellent but the magic and tension between Red and Andy was missing. Red was just a watered down Morgan Freeman lookalike - which is unfortunate because that part makes or breaks the whole play. So glad I saw it but would like to see it again with a stronger and more believable actor as Red to hold it together.
- Jd, East Sussex UK, 21/10/2009 11:28
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This argument of original production is nonsense, the Wyndham which opened in 1899 first staged a revival. Revived work often brings contemporary elements to a production which is often original. This production of Shawshank is based on the novella and not the movie and as such fans of the movie may be disappointed if they attend the play hoping for a recreation of the movie. I have seen the show and was captivated from the opening scene, it is a fantastic production. The actors suit their roles, are very convincing. The show is not for the faint of heart, the dialogue is representative for a play set in a prison but will still leave you aghast, it is brutal in its treatment of the characters, I was stuck to my seat in fear during the rape scene. A fantastic production will worth seeing, just leave the kids at home!
- Lea Peterson, London, UK, 21/10/2009 10:28
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WHY??
Brilliant movie, but who wants to see it copied onto the stage? How dull is that? Reeves and Mortimer is right. Hardly any truly original and funny stuff have emerged since 1997. Even Kate Bush's last fabulous CD came out in... wait for it 1997. We have been slowly dying since Labour came to power and with a new government hopefully emerging sometime next year a new dawn in original thinking might be back once again.
- Delia Hake, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, 21/10/2009 10:28
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