I’ve never seen the film version of Shawshank Redemption but hear it’s quite good. I hope that being able to say that I’ve seen the stage version instead may alleviate the feeling of embarrassment one gets during those awkward painful conversations when admitting that such cultural behemoths such as The Shawshank Redemption film and the Great British Bake Off has passed by without my attention.
The Shawshank Redemption, directed by David Esbjornson in a nutshell is a prison drama and without boring you with plot is about a guy who is locked up in a 1960’s US penitentiary despite maintaining his innocence and has to face prison politics in various forms before making a rather sudden escape. Think of it a little bit like Bad Girls but with blokes. 
This setting leads to some great opportunities in the production, some of which are met and some disappointingly missed. I can hardly fault the intelligent and efficient set design which was probably the best element of the overall design in my eyes. The designer was in this instance let down by other factors such as sub-par performances, lazy sound design and over precise lighting design which when it worked looked great but caught the actors out on more than one occasion by being stood a millimetre downstage of where they were supposed to be.
The story of life in Shawshank Prison based on the original story by Steven King has the potential to be harsh yet tender, dark but also humorous. This production attempts to do this but settles upon a style more suitable for a stage version of Catch 22 or Top Cat and thus avoids the necessary risk and danger which could do so much for this play.
It may seem that I’m about to be, if not already quite critical of many elements of this production and to avoid the emergence of doubt, despite the negatives which infuse this review I never at any point felt I wasted my time going or felt that paying audience members had wasted their money. It’s a good show but takes the safe option on far too many occasions which ultimately is the thing I find distressing. Never have I been more disappointed by a gang rape on stage.
I do love a good fight in a play and Shawshank Redemption with all of its brutality of prison life has the perfect opportunity to show off some superbly realistic fighting. It’s staged in the end on space of the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre so this should be made even easier due to favourable sightlines. Unfortunately I cannot be too complementary about the poorly executed fight techniques which lacked the impact needed to really make an audience wince. A large part of this could have stemmed from the fact that for the most part the actors simply were not listening to each other onstage.
Don’t think I’m being a misery guts once again because there were some great positive points to this play. It’s a great story with some great ideas and great writing. It just hasn’t completely fulfilled its vast potential as a production. Perhaps a little further into the tour the show can bed down and realise that potential and then I would really recommend it if you’re looking for a safe but enjoyable evening. If you’re looking to see a bold and ambitious piece of Theatre though, you may be disappointed.
Reviewer: Karl Barnsley
Reviewed: 5th September 2016
North West End Rating: ★★★
Photo: Mark Yeoman
