Stage: Surefire Shawshank Hit
From short story to classic movie and now stage, The Shawshank Redemption comes to the Theatre Royal Brighton
A classic short story became a classic movie – but in September The Shawshank Redemption is the Theatre Royal Brighton’s autumn season opener with a new stage production inspired by that classic movie and short story by best selliing author Stephen King.
The play examines desperation, injustice, friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum security facility.
Andy Dufresne, a banker who, having received a double life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife and her lover, is incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank penitentiary. Unflinching in his protests of innocence, Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red, and things take a slight turn for the better. However, when Warden Stammas decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched…
Ian Kelsey plays Andy. Well known and loved for his role as practice manager Howard Bellamy in BBC One’s Doctors, Ian’s other major TV roles include Patrick Spiller in BBC One’s Casualty, and parts in Emmerdale, Down To Earth, Blue Murder and the final series of Where The Heart Is. He has also appeared in Touching Evil, Murder in Mind and Hotel Babylon. Ian’s stage credits include Billy Flynn in Chicago and Danny Zuko in Grease in the West End.
Joining Ian is television’s Patrick Robinson, whose impressive TV career includes his role as staff nurse-turned-consultant Martin ‘Ash’ Ashford in BBC’s Casualty, a role which he played from 1990 to 1996. He then reprised his role in 2013 for a year.
Patrick Robinson’s other TV work includes Midsomer Murders and The Bill, and, in 2013 Strictly Come Dancing where he got to the semi finals. Patrick’s stage roles include the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet as their first ever black Romeo. Other stage credits include Dangerous Corner at London’s Garrick Theatre and Festen at the Almeida and the West End’s Lyric Theatre for Bill Kenwright, and War Horse at the New London Theatre.
Based on the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by celebrated author Stephen King, the 1994 feature film The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Freeman.
Stephen King is one of the most popular contemporary authors. He has written 54 published novels which have sold over 350 million copies around the world.
David Esbjornson is an award winning international director whose work includes the Broadway debut and West End production of Driving Miss Daisy starring Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines, for which David received the What’s On Stage award for Best Revival. In 2005, he directed the West End premiere of Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men, produced by Bill Kenwright and starring Rob Lowe.
The Shawshank Redemption, Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road
Mon 7 – Sat 12 Sep, Eves 7.45pm
Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
www.atgtickets.com/brighton
0844 871 7650 (bkg fees apply)
