Play – Middle Age Fanclub

It’s a widely held belief that ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is one of the greatest, if not the greatest film of all time. And of course, the film was borne out of the brilliant Stephen King’s novella, ‘Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption’. So, when I was given tickets for a theatre adaptation for my birthday I was both intrigued and excited.

Andy Dufresne’s story is well known. Wrongly imprisoned in one of America’s worst jails for the double murder of his wife and her lover, he gradually adapts to life inside, gaining friends and respect along the way. And while he’s there he fights the bullying and injustice that he finds, using kindness and common sense wherever possible and all the while slowly forming a plan to escape.

Given the performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in the lead roles in the film, the actors here on stage are firmly in focus and obviously have a tough act to follow. However, Dufresne is portrayed brilliantly by Scottish actor Joe McFadden who captures Andy’s steely determination really well. And Ben Onwukwe is superb as Red, carrying the whole thing along with the narration that involves us, the audience, while tempering the sometimes traumatic events with a subtle humour.

Alongside McFadden and Onwukwe, Bill Ward is superbly menacing as the corrupt Warden Stammas while Sean Kingsley and Ashley D Gayle are excellent as bad guys The Sisters, both determined to make Andy’s life in jail even more of a hell. A special mention too for Kenneth Jay who at times steals the show as Brooksie, the library man.

The staging here is excellent relying on a basic portrayal of the inside of the jail and with subtle transitions and lighting changes bringing us to Andy’s cell, the Warden’s office or even the library that Andy has such a part in building up in his mission to get the prisoners an education.

Director David Esbjornson’s stage version manages to retain the sheer drama of the film, albeit in a much subtler form. And you can’t help but be dragged into Andy and Red’s world of simple humanity amongst the treachery that they are often subjected to within the prison system.

I was thoroughly engaged throughout this performance. Not difficult with such a brilliant story you might think, but it was very much the performances in front of me that made the whole thing so enjoyable. You’ll laugh at the dark humour and then within minutes find yourself raging at the injustice of Andy’s world. But of course, you’ll be smiling by the end. And what an ending! I’d wondered how this would be portrayed on stage and all I can say is that the subtlety and simplicity is where the beauty lies here.

‘Shawshank’ made for a fantastic afternoon’s entertainment and I’d thoroughly endorse a look if and when the play heads your way.

I give ‘The Shawshank Redemption’

Funny isn’t it? You think you know someone and then all of a sudden they do something that leaves you just completely and utterly taken aback. No matter how many people you meet and how well you know them, every so often there’s one of them that will do or say something that you would never have expected.

Well, the very same thing happened to me on Saturday. Not with a person I knew as such, but with the characters in a much loved piece of literature. Having first read it nearly forty years ago and then every so often since then, I thought I knew as much as was needed about Pride and Prejudice. I’d even read an updated version with added zombies not long ago, so surely nothing was going to come as a shock. Then, along came Pride and Prejudice (Sort of).

I’d been given tickets as a birthday present a few months ago and although I knew that this was a different take on the classic, I hadn’t really looked at how different the take might be, which made it all the more of a treat when the play started.

Pride and Prejudice (Sort of) tells the traditional tale of the Bennet sisters and their somewhat complicated suitors. Just with added pop classics often provided by a karaoke machine. And some swearing. Actually loads of swearing. As well as a great big lump of anarchic humour and a noticeably feminist outlook on that whole looking for love thing. And the best thing is that it works perfectly!

As well as following the young Bennet sisters and their love lives you can look forward to singing along to the likes of Carly Simon’s ‘You’re so Vain’, Candi Staton’s ‘Young Hearts Run Free and even ‘Something Changed’ by Pulp near the end. You’ll no doubt end up laughing like a drain as well, especially at Rhianna McGreevy’s Mrs Bennet who at times felt like equal parts Peggy Mitchell and Catherine Tate’s Nan, delivering unexpected pearls of wisdom such as “Being a fucking smartarse is unladylike” to her daughters!

There are five actors in the all female cast and all are superb, taking on what must have been the exhausting task of playing every character. Every character including the Bennet’s domestic servants who are sometime narrators of this tale, but excluding Mr Bennet who is simply an armchair with a newspaper attached that’s wheeled on and off the stage and mocked mercilessly for its obvious silence on all things matrimonial. The cast are incredibly talented though with all of them taking on some kind of pop classic as well as turning their hand to the odd instrument along the way. They add brilliant comic timing to Isobel McArthur’s pin sharp, clever script and come up with a riot of a performance.

Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) is without doubt an absolute triumph and I’d go as far to say that if you don’t enjoy it then it might just be you that’s the problem. The show is just really clever and a shedload of fun. If you get the chance, I’d definitely recommend that you go and see it!

I give Pride and Prejudice (Sort of)…

Tag: Play

Theatre Review: The Shawshank Redemption at Leeds Grand Theatre

Review: ‘Pride and Prejudice’* (*Sort of) at the Leeds Grand Theatre.