Shawshank Redemption is coming to Liverpool's Playhouse Theatre this spring

The powerful stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, best known as the much-loved film The Shawshank Redemption, is a tale of hope, endurance and unlikely friendship.

The production comes to the Liverpool Playhouse from Tuesday 31 March to Saturday 4 April.

The acclaimed stage adaptation stars Joe McFadden known for 2:22 at the Gielgud Theatre and the UK tours of The Rocky Horror Show as the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne, who is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife and her lover.

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.

Joe said:

“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.”

Ben Onwukwe who spent 11 years on television as Recall McKenzie in London’s Burning and recently, appeared as Jackson Donckers in Professor T reprises his performance as the prison fixer, Ellis “Red” Redding, who forms an unlikely friendship with Andy.

Credit: Jack Merriman / Liverpool Playhouse

Onwukwe said:

“In theatre, you follow the arc all the way through and I especially love the rehearsal period, where you’re trying all sorts of different things as a way of getting into the character and seeing how they fit into the overall piece. Then when you’re up and running there’s the camaraderie between the cast and the crew, and nothing beats being in front of a live audience. Getting to take a show like  The Shawshank Redemption  around the country is a joy because it’s a wonderful story, and theatre is really just one great big shared experience of storytelling.”

Bill Ward best known for his long‑running roles as Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street and James Barton in Emmerdale stars as the corrupt prison Warden Stammas.

Bill said:

“It was one of my favourite films growing up,”

“It’s a beautifully-written play about hope emerging from darkness. It has so many other compelling themes, like brotherhood, love and resilience.”

The 1994 feature film  of  The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Academy Awards.  It  went on to become the one of the  nation’s favourite movies  and a huge source of inspiration to film makers, with The National Film Registry citing the film as “culturally, historically, aesthetically significant”.  

   Adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns. The cast is completed by  Graham Elwell  (Bryan Hadley),  Ashley D Gayle  (Rooster),  Jeffrey Harmer  (Entwistle),  Kyle Harrison-Pope  (Tommy Williams),  Kenneth Jay  (Brooksie),  Sean Kingsley  (Bogs Diamond),  Samarge  Hamilton  (Rico),  Aein  Nasseri  (Nelson)  and  Owen Oldroyd  (Dawkins). 

The Shawshank Redemption is at the Liverpool Playhouse from Tuesday 31 March to Saturday 4 April, click here to book now.

Find more great theatre shows in the city here!

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide.