Review: The Shawshank Redemption at the Wales Millennium Centre
Met with a deserved standing ovation, The Shawshank Redemption is an emotionally grounded production that earns its impact through the strength of its performances.
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The Shawshank Redemption is at the Wales Millennium Centre until Saturday, 17th of Jan
Shawshank Redemption - Jack Merriman Photography
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I’ll be honest, it had been years since I’d seen The Shawshank Redemption film, but I knew the story well enough to be wary. Turning something that so many people have an image of in their head into live theatre can go badly. it can feel gimmicky or like it’s trying too hard to be clever. This production at the Wales Millennium Centre wasn’t like that. It felt honest and straightforward, and, more importantly, it worked.
The play tells the familiar story, Andy Dufresne arrives at Shawshank after a terrible conviction and tries to survive in a place designed to grind people down. He meets Red, friendships form, cruelty plays out, and hope quietly refuses to die. What surprised me was how much of the story the production earned just by trusting the actors and the writing. There were no flashy tricks; instead, the show relied on solid performances and clear choices. That made it feel like theatre, not a stage version of a film.
Acting is the show’s strongest suit. Andy, played by Joe McFadden, gave a low-key, careful performance that never sought applause for big gestures, everything came from small, believable moments. You could see thoughts in his face without him having to announce them. That kind of control is hard to pull off in a theatre where actors don’t have close-up shots. He did it really well. Ben Onwukwe as Red was warm and sharp in the way the character needs to be: funny and tired in the same breath, capable of quiet grief and small kindnesses. The chemistry between the two meant the relationship on stage felt truly genuine.
Technically, the show kept things simple and sensible. The set was minimal enough that the actors could move the story along without getting bogged down in scene changes. Lighting and sound did a lot of the heavy lifting for atmosphere. Nothing felt overworked and every choice served the story.
Outstanding performances make this adaptation impossible to look away from.
Shawshank Redemption - Jack Merriman Photography
This isn’t a light watch. The play does not shy away from the darker realities of its setting. Shawshank’s prison walls are filled with violence, cruelty, and the harsh rhythms of incarceration, and the production doesn’t flinch from depicting them. It also includes strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.
One thing I appreciated was how the production allowed silence to do some of the talking. Theatre has that advantage over film: the room breathes together with the actors. A look, a pause, a small sound. These things built tension in ways that felt natural and real. It helped the emotions land without having to spell everything out.
Something else I liked was that the play didn’t feel like it was trying to be “fresh” for novelty’s sake. Too many adaptations add multimedia or gimmicks just because they think the crowd expects it. This version didn’t fall into that trap. It trusted the source material and the cast, and because of that the production felt decisive and honest. It doesn’t reinvent the story, it looks at it closely and lets the characters show you what matters.
This is a gripping stage adaptation of Stephen King’s classic.
Shawshank Redemption - Jack Merriman Photography
The audience felt the same way. When the final scene finished, applause started quickly and grew into a standing ovation. It didn’t feel like the polite kind of clapping that happens because people think it’s the right thing to do, it was genuine. People around me were still talking about small moments on the way out, that’s always a good sign.
In short, this is a strong, straightforward production that respects the source material and makes good on it. The acting is the standout, and the staging is lean and effective. The dark parts are dark because they need to be, and the hopeful parts matter more because of that. If you go expecting fireworks or gimmicks, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you go ready for plain, well-crafted piece of theatre that tells a difficult story very well, you’ll leave satisfied.
The Shawshank Redemption is at the Wales Millennium Centre until Saturday, 17th of Jan
