The Shawshank Redemption @ Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
David Esbjornson’s take on the novella and film is buoyed by stellar performances all around, offering the glimmers of hope audiences expect from this beloved tale
It’s a stark sight that opens director David Esbjornson’s compelling and gritty production of The Shawshank Redemption, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella. New prisoners stripped bare, prison uniforms in hand: fresh meat for the jaded inmates of the maximum security facility.
This intensity continues as we follow Andy Dufresne’s journey as a new prisoner, with long-term inmate Red as our narrator and Andy’s eventual friend. Ben Onwukwe’s stage pedigree is evident in an outstanding performance as Red, the guy who can get you things on the inside but who cannot get himself out, failing parole year after year. A familiar face from television, Joe McFadden gives an emotional and uplifting performance as Andy. Convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover, Andy maintains his innocence and his will to fight, much to the initial bemusement and disbelief of his cell mates and the guards.
The set, designed by Gary McCann, is perfectly oppressive. Two floors of poorly lit grey walls are only interrupted briefly by wall panels which descend and offer a window into the warden’s office or Andy’s basic cell, where Rita Hayworth’s iconic poster is pinned to the wall.
It’s Andy’s unbreakable spirit which endures through the dark years inside. And be warned, there’s plenty of those. From gang rape to solitary confinement, beatings (effectively choreographed by fight director Alison De Burgh) and the death of fellow inmates, there’s no hiding from bleak times in this charged production. Menacing performances given by Sean Kingsley and Ashley Gayle as the violent ‘cell sisters’ Bogs and Rooster are particularly effective.
But ultimately, it’s the message of hope which Andy offers which endures. Breadcrumbs in the dark offer a different path to the one the cons have always known. Beers in the sun, film nights, a library… Friendship, loyalty, the joy of learning and the chance to make things different. The hope of a new life beyond the walls and a reminder to all that in difficult times to always hold on to hope. In short, to get busy living.
The Shawshank Redemption, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 24 Jan, then touring the UK including Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 24-28 Mar and His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, 7-11 Apr