The Shawshank Redemption - Review

Richmond Theatre, London

***

Adapted by Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns

Based on the short novel by Stephen King

Directed by David Esbjornson

The cast of The Shawshank Redemption

There is always a risk in adapting an iconic film for the stage. Based (like the movie) on Stephen King’s novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, there was the possibility that Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns might have found their own unique interpretation, inviting the film’s fans on a different and exciting journey. After all, this is an emotionally loaded, years-long story with several interesting characters and it could have been approached differently.

Their play however does not go far enough, forcing the audience into endless comparisons with the 1994 Hollywood classic. By itself this is not necessarily a bad thing, indeed some fans might find it amusing material to chew over. But the play does a disservice to the film and to King’s core strength as a writer: his ability to generate genuine empathy even for the most heinous criminals. And that is, by itself, a sort of crime.

The Shawshank Redemption pulls us back to the late 1940s, to an American prison in Maine full of hardened criminals. That in itself makes for an interesting experience to watch in 2026. An all-male play — a theatrical man cave, if you like — where one can dive into thought-provoking themes of masculinity, sexual harassment among men, the power of friendship and the adherence to hope in the face of blatant injustice. But as the play struggles to plant the seeds of empathy deeply enough, there are very few brief moments of catharsis in which the emotional involvement overshadows the grim, casual mention of the reasons why many of these men are in prison in the first place (usually the murder of women in their lives).

Ben Onwukwe, as Ellis ‘Red’ Redding, steps confidently into the big shoes of Morgan Freeman as the main narrator, delivering his own effortless interpretation of one of the story’s most beloved characters. Onwukwe’s Red, as a resourceful and well-connected prisoner, provides a good mixture of heart and comic upbeat, while showing us the gentle forging of a brave friendship with the prisoner Andy Dufresne, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover, despite his professions of innocence. Joe McFadden’s Dufresne, however, struggles to bring to life the unforgettable, nuanced character of the wise, confident and yet alien nature of his character that the story requires. Instead, his Dufresne comes across as fragile and almost neurotic — which does not quite fit the story arc.

Elsewhere, Samarge Hamilton as fellow inmate Rico provides well-measured comic relief, Kenneth Jay as the elderly prisoner Brooksie, enthrals the audience in one of the most emotionally gripping scenes, while Bill Ward charismatically plays the corrupt and ruthless Warden Stammas.

The evening’s flaws include distracting inconsistencies in the actors’ American accents, together with the director’s struggle to mirror the passage of time. The clever use of changing musical fashions adds authenticity to the story, but does not serve well enough as the main indicator of passing time inside the prison walls.

With a running time of more than two hours, while The Shawshank Redemption makes for entertaining theatre, it might simply be easier to grab your remote control and drift back into Freeman’s familiar narration once again.

Reviewed by Florit Shoihet

Runs until 6th June

Photo credit: Jack Merriman

12 Angry Men - Review

Richmond Theatre, Richmond

****

Written by Reginald Rose

Directed by Christopher Haydon

The cast of 12 Angry Men

Catching up with the Bill Kenwright company’s touring production of 12 Angry Men proved an absolute delight. Reginald Rose’s classic yarn set in the jury room of a murder trial where with the death penalty awaiting a guilty verdict the life of the accused rests in the jurors’ hands, is done to perfection by an outstanding cast.

Jason Merrells takes up the role of Juror 8 - famously played by Henry Fonda in Sidney Lumet’s 1957 movie - kicking off proceedings as the sole Not Guilty voter amongst the 12. For those not familiar with the story, this review won’t spoil the outcome, suffice to say it’s a charming pot-boiler of a yarn that picks apart the trial’s evidence, drawing its dramatic strength through exposing the attitudes and prejudices of the titular dozen along the way.

Merrells is great but he’s well matched by Tristan Gemmill’s Juror 3, the play’s protagonist who is the most convinced that the accused should face the electric chair. There is brilliant supporting work too, notably from Michael Greco and Gary Webster, but it should be said that the entire cast, comprising a fair chunk of the cream of Britain’s acting talent pull off a terrific ensemble performance. Richmond Theatre was deservedly packed on the night of this review. Christopher Haydon has directed a brilliant evening’s entertainment which seen on the road, at regional theatre ticket prices, is brilliantly affordable too.

My verdict: Electrifying! Catch it if you can.

Runs until 10th February then continues on tour

Photo credit: Jack Merriman

Noises Off - Review

Richmond Theatre, London

*****

Written by Michael Frayn

Directed by Lindsay Posner

Felicity Kendal, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Matthew Kelly

Every now and then the planets align to create a production of sheer theatrical genius. So it is with Lindsay Posner’s touring take on Noises Off, currently playing at the Richmond Theatre.

Firstly, the script. Michael Frayn’s farce, penned 40 years ago, is a work of meticulous accuracy as it lays down gags, plots, sub-plots and nuance as we follow a touring theatre company rehearsing and performing the play-within-a-play Nothing On, around which the narrative plays out. Without ever resorting to corniness, Frayn mines the traditional farcical components of slamming doors, trousers around ankles and plot-lines of delicious sauciness. But its not just that Frayn’s text make us laugh, it is that he also offers a witty and at times poignant critique of the human condition – from the frailty of ageing through to alcohol addiction. No word of the script is wasted in the show’s three acts that treat the audience to whirlwind tours backstage and front of house as the plot’s calamitous events unfold.

Next up, the direction. Lindsay Posner has a visionary talent who understands the structure of each of the shows countless laughlines. Posner has form with the play, having directed the Old Vic production in 2011 and it shows. This production is slick, seamless and lifts the audience with its brilliance.

Finally, the cast, and Posner has been gifted a platinum-plated company to work with. The show’s seven key roles (the six characters of Nothing On together with that show’s director) include some of the nation’s finest comic pedigree - and in Noises Off there is no real star. The play only stands on the strengths of its company working as a team, and this team is strong. Felicity Kendal, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Matthew Kelly, Alexander Hanson, Joseph Millson, Jonathan Coy and Sasha Frost are all sublime in their roles that span a raft of characters aged from 70-something through to a glamourous starlet in her 20s. Their timing is honed to split-second accuracy and it is a credit to both actors and director that the show’s physical comedy, that in lesser hands could just be a ridiculous and clumsy distraction, is here delivered to side-splitting perfection. Pepter Lunkuse and Hubert Burton complete the cast list as the stage management team of Nothing On and though less accomplished than the show’s bigger beasts, are equally faultless in their work.

After Richmond, Noises Off heads off to Brighton and then Cambridge. Don’t miss it!

Runs until October 15th, then tours

Photo credit: Nobby Clark

Saturday Night Fever - Review

Richmond Theatre, London

***

Music and lyrics by The Bee Gees

Book adapted by Robert Stigwood and Bill Oakes

Directed by Ryan McBryde

The Company

When 'Saturday Night Fever' hit the screen in the UK in 1978 it had the country eating out of the palm of its hand. John Travolta's Tony Manero, powered by the Bee Gee's inimitable disco pulse had girls wanting him and guys wanting to be him. Robert Stigwood’s dance fuelled vision dripped with the illusory seduction of the 2001 Odyssey nightclub’s neon that offered a weekly escape from urban mundanity to Manero and his buddies. On the Richmond Theatre's stage however, Ryan McBryde's version of the show is perhaps a touch too dark and raw for a story that craves light and glamour.

In his programme notes McBryde describes Saturday Night Fever as "gritty, complex and uncompromising". With a plot that includes heartbreak, financial struggle and suicide all set to such a popular and uplifting score, its inevitable that a credible staging will prove challenging. That said, McBryde has assembled a strong company of actor-musician performers. The economy of the actor-muso format serves the show well, offering a strong sense of energy and vibrancy in the more up tempo numbers, while equally giving the darker songs a real raw and honest edge, notably in Tragedy sung by Alex Lodge as Bobby C.  

Saturday Night Fever demands a fine leading man and Danny Bayne's Manero provides the show's driving energy. Bayne's performance as the arrogant yet sensitive Manero, complete with flawless dancing is worth the ticket price alone and he handles his solo numbers with flair. Elsewhere, Bethany Linsdell as the love struck Annette whose early rendition of If I Can't Have You offers just a glimpse of the singer’s talent as she makes fine work of the Yvonne Elliman classic. 

Throughout, Andrew Wright’s well engineered choreography excites, suggesting both the glitzy pizzazz and the emotional turmoil of growing up in New York city in the last century.

Above all the show makes for an entertaining night out. Many of us remember the movie (it was my first ever sneaked-into "x certificate") when the Bee Gees’ sound defined an era. The middle aged will love the nostalgia – whilst a younger audience can absorb the sounds of a generation, performed magnificently by their peers.

Runs until 28th March 2015, then plays in Cardiff

Fascinating Aida - Review

Richmond Theatre, London

***

This review was first published in The Public Reviews

With 30 years performing and touring behind them, Dillie Keane’s Fascinating Aida troupe delivered an accomplished one night only performance to a packed house in Richmond as their current UK tour winds to an end. The current line up of the trio comprises fellow veteran performer Adele Anderson who co–writes with Keane, together with younger soprano Liza Pulman.

Keane and Anderson have brilliant minds, and their lyrics are frequently incisive. With a routine that mocks youth, gays, paedophiles, men, women and Dignitas, the act contains something to offend everyone. That their rhymes can nonetheless be frequently anticipated is a modest disappointment, though a spoof rap that includes “ I may not be hip…but I got my own hips” was one of the evening’s moments of genuine humour. Whilst politicians come in for an expected battering it is a sad reflection that notwithstanding the intellectual firepower of these women, the biggest laughs of the night were for a filthy song about tax avoidance, Companies Using Nifty Tax Schemes ( the initials, geddit?) and for another number entitled and about, Dogging ( google it). Clearly, however talented the performer, knob-gags and smug-smut are what the fans crave. Is this a reflection of these “all-licensed fools” or of the British audience? The answer is probably both. Their by now well-known routine, Cheap Flights, a Riverdance inspired criticism of the likes of Ryanair, was witty in both lyric and dance, though a later piece with cod Bob Fosse Cabaret-inspired choreography that made fun of the Germans, was shallow. In a moment of serious reflection, towards the end of act 2, Lay One Less Place At The Table was a wistful observation on the loss of dear ones as the years pass. Included amongst such ribaldry however, the song comes across as more mawkish than the performers would have intended. A penultimate number suggesting a move to New Zealand to avoid world destruction and global terror was quite simply awful and seemed an odd choice to be part of a closing routine.

The three women excel as performers. Word perfect and with excellent sound and lighting, they are exemplary in their commitment to touring with outstanding technical standards. Their routines are skilfully planned and executed, wittily directed and aside from a momentary crotch revealing wardrobe malfunction by Miss Anderson, fun to watch. Evidently adored by their fans and notwithstanding their imperfections, Fascinating Aida remain a pillar of Britain’s comic establishment.

see www.fascinatingaida.co.uk for future tour dates

Educating Rita - Review

Richmond Theatre, London

*****

Written by: Willy Russell

Director: Tamara Harvey

June 25 2012

Matthew Kelly and Claire Sweeney

Educating Rita, produced by the Chocolate Factory and Theatre Royal Bath, is a delightful re-working of Willy Russell’s clever study of character and emotion, liberally sprinkled with humour and delicious irony.

Claire Sweeney plays the title role of the married hairdresser who at 31 and already familiar with the poetry of Roger McGough, is hungry to broaden her cultural horizons via the Open University.  Matthew Kelly plays Frank, a one time poet and now a local university tutor, assigned to supervise Rita’s studies.  

Like fine wine, this play has improved with age. When first produced in 1980, the Thatcher era was established and the gap between rich and poor, acknowledged as a backdrop in much of Russell’s writing, was distinct. It is a sad reflection that many of today’s newspaper headlines echo similar themes, and that the play’s social comment is as relevant now as when it premiered .  The original production and subsequent film, drew attention to the hitherto broadly unknown Julie Walters who had cut her acting teeth at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre and who brimming with scouse grit, gave a performance as Rita that set the bar very high.

Claire Sweeney approaches the role from a distinctly different career path. Having already achieved numerous starring roles on television and stage Sweeney’s Rita, is an outstanding performance defining her as an actress with a depth of talent that reaches beyond musical theatre. Her broad Liverpool accent, not only authentic but deliciously emphasized, allows her to take Russell’s creation of the 80’s and subtly re-imagine the hairdresser to reflect our current early years of the 21^st century. Rita’s arc sees her character grow not only in literary criticism, but also in self confidence. Sweeney’s performance ( amidst numerous immaculately timed costume changes ) charts this development in Rita with sensitivity and pinpoint perception.

Matthew Kelly provides a worthy foil to Sweeney’s comparatively youthful impetuousness.  In his tutorial sessions with Rita he discovers that the protective layers of his alcoholic character’s crusty and cantankerous protective shell are first penetrated and then, almost onion-like,  stripped away by this mature student’s directness of purpose and irresistibly innocent charm to reveal a vulnerable and lonely man. Without meaning to, Rita steals his heart, and when, in Act 2, we see his jealousy of her newly acquired freedom, Kelly’s performance tugs at the heartstrings without being mawkish. In a similar vein, his portrayal of Frank’s sometime drunkenness is also delivered free of cliché.  It is interesting to note that Kelly and Sweeney briefly performed together earlier this year, albeit not as a duet, in the tour of Legally Blonde. The pair have an onstage chemistry that clearly works, and it will be intriguing to see if this professional pairing is exploited in productions of the future.

The creative team has excelled throughout in this touring production. Tim Shortall’s set, with numerous bookcases, many of which conceal bottles of scotch is delightfully detailed, whilst Davy Ogilvy’s sound design, ensured that clarity of speech was maintained, even in the rear stalls.

This show is a delightful two hours long, spent watching an actor and actress who are both clearly at the top of their game.

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews