REVIEW: The Shawshank Redemption at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Slam, clink.

Three men stand naked, each in a spotlight, modesty covered only by the pile of prison clothes they hold. 

We are in the Shawshank Maximum Security Penitentiary with Andy Dufresne, who claims he did not murder his wife and her lover.

Immersed into the brutal prison world, this man – restrained in all senses – has to survive and keep his soul intact.

A friendship with Ellis ‘Red’ Redding, the prison’s Mr Fixit, helps Dufresne to cope – Red procures a pin-up poster of Rita Hayworth and a special hammer to help Andy hack out his ‘rock hound’ collection of stones.

A love for books and learning offer some other relief in the bleakness and brutality of Shawshank.

There’s muscular menace from ‘the Sisters’ and a more insidious threat from the warden (a stern Mark Heenehan) who manipulates clever Andy into  ‘cooking’  the accounting books.

Starting in the 1940s, the years soon unfold –  Rita Hayworth nearly gives way to Raquel Welch and we follow the threads until the audience is rapt to know what happens to librarian Brooksie, young car jack Tommy and the occupants of Shawshank.

It’s a cracking tale with more twists than Red’s history.

If you know the story, sit back and enjoy the fights, emotion and energy up close in David Esbjornson’s compelling production.

There are a fair number of laughs amongst all the shade and the plot rocks along on stage with a talented cast of 12, some lively incidental music and an appropriately sparse, almost subterranean-looking set.

The lighting (by Chris Davey) is especially strong, from the dramatic beginning to Red waiting for news of his parole in a gobo light – the silhouette of a window .

Ben Onwukwe (RSC, London’s Burning) is charismatic as Red, bringing warmth, mischief and sincerity to the role. 

It’s a tough job to play a contained kind of a man like Dufresne and Joe Absolom (EastEnders, Doc Martin) stumbled with his lines a little but, like his character, always rallied and showed good presence and physicality, especially as this was the first night of a long stint – sorry, tour  – OK, I think this it's time to get out of this sentence. 

Visit https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/shawshank-redemption/ for more details.