Theatre review: The Shawshank Redemption at Wales Millennium Centre

Rhys John Edwards 

When I first heard about a stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, I’ll admit my initial reaction was… why?

The acclaimed Stephen King story has already been immortalised on screen in a film that consistently ranks amongst some of the greatest of all time. So, what exactly would be added by a further adaptation to stage?

Still, I tried to keep my cynicism in check, New Year, New Me and all that. After all, surely the only reason writers Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns would revisit a story that already holds such cultural weight would be to reimagine it and elevate the story even further?

Or then again… perhaps not.

Fresh takes on the familiar characters

Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, this stage adaptation tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker convicted of murder, who forms an unlikely friendship with fellow inmate Ellis ‘Red’ Redding at Shawshank maximum-security prison. 

If there is one area in which this production does manage to justify its existence, it is in its cast’s fresh takes on the familiar characters.

Joe McFadden’s Andy Dufresne is a noticeable departure from Tim Robbins’ iconic portrayal in the film. Where Robbins played Andy with a kind of cool arrogance, McFadden leans more into a sense of disassociated energy.

His Andy feels socially awkward rather than socially superior and as a result, when fellow inmates mistake his manner for snobbery, it genuinely feels like a misunderstanding.

His softer, slightly nerdier Andy proves easier to sympathise with.

Ben Onwukwe’s Red similarly avoids echoing Morgan Freeman’s approach too closely. Freeman’s Red radiated calm wisdom, like an almost omniscient narrator wrapped in warmth and gravitas.

Onwukwe, by contrast, presents Red as a streetwise old crook, peppered with erratic quirks and eccentricities. It’s a rougher, less mythic take, but one that arguably makes him a more believable criminal.

It is Bill Ward’s Warden, however, who makes the greatest impact. Bob Gunton’s film portrayal of this character favoured quiet and strategic manipulative behaviour, but Ward is much more physically commanding. His cruelty is heightened by a sense that there is a desire for physical violence caged behind his pristine suit and tie.

It’s a performance that makes the Warden not just hateful, but convincingly frightening.

You don’t feel devastated, you simply care less

Gary McCann’s set is suitably adaptable, shifting between prison yard, cells and the warden’s office with ease. The design evokes claustrophobia without ever feeling static.

David Esbjornson’s direction is strongest in characterisation and pacing, but it must be said that the stage combat is particularly unconvincing, with actors clearly having been directed to overreact to quite obviously minor physical advances.

But where the production truly falters is in the mechanics of the adaptation itself.

It’s true that Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns draw more closely on King’s original story but in my opinion, this only serves to highlight just how justified the film was in making the changes it did.

For instance, greater light is shed on the crimes of Red, Brooksie and Tommy, revealing them to be far more brutal than the film ever let on.

Arguably, this should push the show into darker psychological territory, challenging us to truly consider how such men could ever be redeemed. Instead, it hamstrings the audience’s empathy, particularly as this darkness is barely explored beyond its initial mention. 

There is no real sense that Brooksie (Kenneth Jay), for example, has wrestled with the guilt of killing his wife and daughter and has grown into a better man. As a result, when he meets his end, you don’t feel devastated, you simply care less.

Familiarity with the film

Meanwhile, moments from the film that were handled with subtlety, such as Andy’s violent encounters with the ‘Sisters’, feel overexplained and gratuitous.

Then on the other hand, moments that cry out for expansion, like the warden’s eventual comeuppance, are reduced to throwaway lines of exposition, which skip over what should be a satisfying payoff.

The core of this story explores the endurance of hope in the face of adversity, but even this straightforward theme feels awkwardly shoehorned into Act II rather than organically woven throughout the play. I

It’s strange to see a production that is bold enough in part to attempt a fresh take on this story, only to then lean so heavily on the audience’s familiarity with the film elsewhere. 

This is most lazily exposed in the final reunion between Red and Andy, which recreates the film’s closing scene almost beat for beat, even using the original score in a desperate attempt to summon the same emotion. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t.

Ultimately, whilst the show is elevated by strong performances that explore new territory, too often this adaptation resembles a confused, subpar tribute band that has been forced to change just enough of the lyrics of well-known hits to avoid a lawsuit. You’re left with the sense that everyone involved would have been better off performing original material.

The Shawshank Redemption plays at Wales Millennium Centre until Saturday 17 January and continues to tour throughout the UK in 2026.