The Shawshank Redemption tour to visit Theatre Royal Bath

The Shawshank Redemption is bound for the Theatre Royal Bath from Monday 27 March to Saturday 1 April as part of a nationwide tour starring Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, EastEnders, The Bay) and Ben Onwukwe (London’s Burning, Professor T, RSC) in the iconic lead roles of Andy Dufresne and Ellis ‘Red’ Redding.

Despite protesting 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.

Based on the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by celebrated author Stephen King, the stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption examines desperation, injustice, friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum-security facility. The 1994 feature film, The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Regularly voted as one of the best films in cinema history, it went on to become a huge source of inspiration to film makers. Presented by Bill Kenwright, the stage production is adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns and directed by award-winning Broadway director David Esbjornson.

Joe Absolom, who stars as Andy Dufresne, has barely been off our television screens over the past twenty-five years with roles including Al Large in Doc Martin from 2004 to December 2022, Matthew Rose in EastEnders from 1997 to 2000, Christopher Halliwell in the ITV mini-series A Confession in 2019 and Andy Warren in The Bay in 2021. Joe has also played guest roles in numerous prime-time series including Death in Paradise, Vincent, Suspects, Ashes to Ashes, Casualty, The Bill, New Tricks, Poirot, Trevor’s World of Sport, Dangerfield and Silent Witness. He has performed at the Theatre Royal Bath previously in Abigail’s Party in 2012.

Joe Absolom said, “The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite films, an incredibly moving tale of friendship and injustice, and I’m thrilled to be playing the iconic role of Andy Dufresne on stage around the UK." 
 

Image - Joe Absolom as Andy Dufresne on the left, Ben Onwukwe as Ellis ‘Red’ Redding on the right. Credit: Jack Merriman

Boasting a thirty-year stage career, Ben Onwukwe, who stars as inmate Ellis “Red” Redding, has played leading roles with the RSC and London’s Royal Court. On television, he is well known for his eleven-year role as Stuart ‘Recall’ McKenzie in London’s Burning and, more recently, as Jackson Donckers in Professor T. He has also played guest roles in numerous prime-time dramas ranging from Marcella and the Netflix series Safe to Coronation Street and Death in Paradise. Ben returns to The Shawshank Redemption to reprise the role of Red after first starring in the play on tour in 2016. 

Ben Onwukwe said, “I’m delighted to be returning to the role of “Red” in this amazing production. The Shawshank Redemption film is one which many hold close to their hearts, and it’s exciting to be bringing Stephen King’s story to new audiences. It is a modern meditation on hope and in these times, it is hope that we need”.

The cast is completed by Mark Heenehan as Warden Stammas, Kenneth Jay as Brooksie, Coulter Dittman as Tommy Williams, Joe Reisig as Bryan Hadley, Owen Oldroyd as Entwistle, Jay Marsh as Bogs Diamond, Jules Brown as Rico, Leigh Jones as Rooster, Kieran Garland as Dawkins and Samarge Hamilton as Kelly. 

David Esbjornson is an award-winning international director. His work includes the Broadway debut and West End production of Driving Miss Daisy starring Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones, for which he received the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Revival. His previous credits also include the West End premiere of A Few Good Men starring Rob Lowe.

Stephen King is one of the most popular authors of contemporary literature. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories and began teaching high school English classes at the public high school in Hampden, Maine in 1971. Writing in the evenings and at weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In 1973, Doubleday & Co. accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since become one of the world's most successful writers, publishing more than 50 books, many of which have been adapted into feature films.

The Shawshank Redemption appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Monday 27 March to Saturday 1 April. To book tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk