The Shawshank Redemption

Harder Hit

The Shawshank Redemption

by Stephen King, adapted by Owen O’Neil and Dave Johns

Bill Kenwright Ltd at Richmond Theatre until 6^th June

Review by Eleanor Marsh

There is a fashion for adapting successful movies into stage plays and musicals. The West End is flooded with such shows and without doubt some of these adaptations work better than others. It feels at times that there are no new ideas and so it was with some trepidation that I waited for the curtain to go up on The Shawshank Redemption.

The stage adaptation of the movie (itself an adaptation of Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) was first produced in 2009, before the current infatuation with such things and is all the better for it. There is no pretence that this is anything other than a theatrical piece from the moment the curtain literally goes up on Gary McCann’s set. King’s story lends itself well to the medium and this production is both stylised and grounded in harsh reality.

Set in the fictional Shawshank Maximum Security Penitentiary, the action of the play takes place over twenty years, with the passage of time indicated by an effective musical soundtrack and updating of uniforms – subtle but effective. It is a study in corruption and the unfairness of the justice system. Shawshank is somewhere in the USA. It could be anywhere. The plot revolves around Andy and his journey from new inmate to seasoned prisoner. He could be anyone. He’s ordinary. He’s a banker; he’s out of his depth, out of his comfort zone and he is constantly under threat, but he is also resilient and wily and uses his particular set of unique skills to survive. He is also innocent. Andy’s talent is to find a way to fit in. It is also his tragedy as once he’s made himself indispensable to inmates and guards alike there is literally no escape. Andy is a chameleon and we never quite get to know him. He is the window through which we observe the horror of how a life can be destroyed in a heartbeat and Joe McFadden’s low-key performance hits the spot perfectly.

The beating heart of the play, though is Red. Ben Onwukwe is outstanding in this role. Wise, compassionate, and pragmatic by turn, Onwukwe portrays Red with humour, gravitas and a twinkle in his eye. Red’s journey is more complex than Andy’s and his is the character we root for.

This production is a truly ensemble piece. There were cast replacements for this performance and the play ran seamlessly with excellent performances from all the inmates. The guards have a tougher job – their characters are two dimensional making it easy for them to slip into caricature at times.

David Esbjornson’s production emphasises the black humour that comes out of the worst of situations. It’s a master stroke not to play this down, as humour is an important contrast with the main themes of the plot, and ensures that the true horror of aspects of this play hit all the harder.

Eleanor Marsh, June 2026

Photography by Jack Merriman