Review: The Shawshank Redemption (Touring)

Tuesday 19th May 2026 at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Shawshank Redemption rightly tops many a “Movie Greats” lists, and with good reason. A gritty 1994 story of law and disorder in a pretty brutal prison environment, it makes for a brilliantly dramatic study of human nature. And as a staged drama, it turns out, Stephen King’s tale proves just as gripping in new hands forty years later.

Adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns and directed by David Esbjornson, there’s a heart-warming core to this story of a wrongfully accused man using his guts and his wits to survive great hardship. Even while the shrieking guards are working hard to belittle the men we see before us, the sense of unity between the men (well, most of them), is a pretty bright beacon. And yet there’s also great darkness and welcome flashes of humour – it’s no wonder that the film remains so popular as time ticks on, and it’s great to see this stage adaptation do justice to the characters and story. 

And the story of Andy Dufresne is a winding one, complete with a deliciously triumphant ending. Joe McFadden hits all the right notes in the role: youthful and relatively upbeat, it’s a wonder to see how consistently he bounces back considering the knocks he endures. Ben Onwukwe takes on the task of stepping into Morgan Freeman’s iconic shoes as ‘Red’ and holds his own, complete with a distinctive narrating voice and style and plenty of charm, delivering on the gravitas that is so crucial to the role.

Kenneth Jay cuts a sympathetic figure as library man Brooksie and Kyle Harrison-Pope offers some real youth and earnestness as the academically challenged Tommy Williams, while Samarge Hamilton brings some welcome snatches of comedy to proceedings as Rico, a man forced to question his faith while finding fresh faith in feisty literature…

While the goodies are very good, the baddies are of course pretty rotten here. Bill Ward is brilliantly despicable as the corrupt Warden Stammas while Graham Elwell does a great job of bellowing through commands and insults as the joyless guard Hadley. Some real wrong-uns exist behind the bars too, played with slimy seediness by Sean Kingsley and Ashley D Gayle as the resident predators on the cell block.

What’s most interesting about this story, aside from the survival angle, is the way the men are given layers. Even while openly confessing to crimes of all kinds, there’s an empathy – or at least a sense of understanding – afforded each one as they reflect on their wrongdoings through eyes opened fully by time and institutionalisation. 

All in all, this cast and production spin the tale brilliantly, keeping us firmly engaged in the shifting power dynamics and tricky relationships playing out while raising some big, broad questions about the very nature of incarceration, justice systems and power structures. That’s a tall order for a stage drama, and this production definitely delivers. 

The Shawshank Redemption is at Leeds Grand Theatre until May 23rd 2026 – more information and tickets can be found here.