SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION LIVE
- ESP Online
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
It’s one of the most-loved films and now it’s an incredible play. You can see The Shawshank Redemption at the New Theatre in Peterborough this month featuring an all-star cast.
Written by Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns, the play is based on Stephen King's 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, which featured in King's Different Seasons collection and was adapted into the beloved 1994 film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
The stage play features Joe McFadden (Holby City/Strictly winner) as Andy Dufresne , Bill Ward (Emmerdale/Coronation Street) as Warden Stammas and Ben Onwukwe (London's Burning) as Red and the show runs in Peterborough from Tuesday February 24 - Saturday February 28.
Joe McFadden is a huge fan of both the book and film, saying that there will be surprises in store for theatregoers who are only familiar with the big screen version. "There's lots in it that they'll know from the movie," he points out, "but it delves deeper into the novella and offers something extra. It's a brilliant script, so saying yes to it was a no-brainer for me."
The story starts in the late-1940s, when – despite protesting his innocence – Andy is incarcerated at the notorious Shawshank facility and soon learns that no one can survive alone. So he strikes up an unlikely friendship with prison fixer Red, but is bullied into subservience by Warden Stammas when the latter exploits his talents for accountancy.
Joe says –"It's a story about hope in the darkest of places, and we could all do with a bit more hope and optimism in our lives.
"Good theatre shouldn't only be in London. There are so many beautiful theatres around the country and audiences are different wherever you go. And with The Shawshank Redemption it's important to spread that message of hope and optimism around the UK."
Elder inmate Red is played by Ben Onwukwe, a role he first played in the production's 2016 tour and was originally drawn to it because, like Joe, he sees it as a story about hope. "The word 'redemption' is right there in the title," Ben notes. "Most prison dramas are pretty grim, but this one is also about humanity – where in this morass of misery we find two people who have some goodness within them."
The film of The Shawshank Redemption has been hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time. "And rightly so," the actor feels – as does Bill Ward, who plays Warden Stammas in the stage version.
It was one of my favourite films growing up," Bill says. "It's a beautifully-written play about hope emerging from darkness. It has so many other compelling themes, like brotherhood, love and resilience."
Stammas is an amalgamation of three characters from the novella. "So he's a really multi-faceted personality," Ward continues. "He's ruthless at his core, but he has ways, means and tactics for getting what he wants. He can be very charming and charismatic. He's not a one-note, nasty piece of work who you can see through immediately. A lot of the time, on the surface, he appears to be quite reasonable quite a lot of the time, but actually what he's doing is being extremely manipulative."
Don’t miss The Shawshank Redemption at the New Theatre in Peterborough on Tuesday February 24 - Saturday February 28.
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