After a successful autumn tour, the play, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and
Shawshank Redemption, will continue to entertain audiences, stopping off at the Alhambra Theatre,
Bradford from 20 – 25 March.
Adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns, this thrilling stage production examines desperation, injustice,
friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum-security facility.
The 1994 feature film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Academy
Awards. The Shawshank Redemption went on to become the nation’s favourite movie and a huge source of
inspiration to film makers, with The National Film Registry citing the film as “culturally, historically, or
aesthetically significant”.
Despite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal
murder of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated at the notorious Shawshank facility, he quickly learns
that no one can survive alone.
Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red, and things take a slight turn for the
better. However, when Warden Stammas decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his
talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched…
This production will see Joe Absolom continue in the role of the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne with Ben
Onwukwe as his inmate Ellis “Red” Redding.
With an impressive TV career, Joe Absolom has barely been off our screens in twenty-five years: from
Matthew Rose in EastEnders to Al Large in Doc Martin, Christopher Halliwell in A Confession and Andy
Warren in The Bay.
Boasting a 30-year stage career, Ben Onwukwe has seen leading roles with the RSC and the Royal Court,
as well as 11 years on TV as Recall McKenzie in London’s Burning and, more recently, the role of Jackson
Donckers in Professor T. He reprises his critically acclaimed performance as Ellis “Red” Redding
in The Shawshank Redemption, which he first played in the production’s 2016 tour.
A must see drama. Book now 01274 432000 bradford-theatres.co.uk
Picture by Jack Merriman
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