The Shawshank Redemption at Darlington Hippodrome Review
Written by Stacy for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
As the lights in the Darlington Hippodrome dimmed and the curtain lifted - the cold grey walls of Shawshank came alive and I knew I wasn’t just watching a play. I was witnessing an unrelenting intensity that transformed the stage into a world of injustice, camaraderie, and that fragile spark of hope.
Joe McFadden as Andy Dufresne was outstanding. His performance carried a quiet storm - serene on the surface, yet shaking with intelligence and suppressed fury beneath. McFadden drew me into Andy’s world of endurance and unrelenting hope with such restraint that when his resolve finally flared, the release was electrifying to watch. Ben Onwukwe’s Red was the perfect counterbalance - warm, measured, and deeply human. His narration grounded the story in humour and humanity and his reflections on hope and time had such an understated power. Together, McFadden and Onwukwe's partnership was the emotional cornerstone of the evening. Bill Ward’s Warden Stammas brought a chilling authority to the stage. His control was suffocating, and his subtle shifts between charm and cruelty made him fascinating to watch. He certainly wasn't a pantomime villain; instead, Ward crafted a man who believed in his own righteousness, and that made him all the more unsettling.
The ensemble were equally outstanding. Kenneth Jay’s Brooksie broke my heart in the quietest, most devastating way. Kyle Harrison-Pope as Tommy presented a youthful vulnerability that made his fate all the more traumatic. Graham Elwell, Ashley D Gayle, Sean Kingsley, Jeffrey Harmer, Fernando Mariano, Aein Nasseri, and Owen Oldroyd each carved out distinctive presences, turning the prison population into a living, breathing chorus of desperation, menace, and fleeting humour.
David Esbjornson’s direction ensured that nothing was wasted as every pause, every silence and every shared glance had weight. The pacing allowed time itself to become a character - slow, grinding, oppressive, but never dull. The set and lighting captured the bleakness of prison life with a minimal design. However, my only niggle was the amount of blackouts weaving between the scenes, each announced with a new piece of music. I'm not a huge fan of a blackout and I felt that the segues between some of the scenes could have been choreographed with an interesting transition to break up the relentless stop-start effect of lights going off and on, creating a stronger flow to the piece overall.
Memorable moments are Andy’s reverence in the library where books become sacred keys to freedom; the rooftop scene, where laughter felt like contraband and Brooksie’s paralysing fear - a portrait of a man who could not survive outside the very walls that confined him. By the final curtain, I was left devastated yet uplifted - an odd but fitting feeling for a story about survival, friendship, and the defiant power of hope.
This Shawshank is more than theatre - it’s a triumph of human resilience brought vividly to life. An unmissable night that proves hope is the brightest light in the darkest of places.
★★★★
