The Shawshank Redemption returns to Theatre Royal Bath

The acclaimed stage adaptation of the hit movie returns to the Theatre Royal when The Shawshank Redemption visits Bath from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 February. This Bill Kenwright production starring Joe McFadden, Ben Onwukwe and Bill Ward, is based on the short novel by Stephen King and adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns and directed by David Esbjornson. Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella and the 1994 feature film, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, this thrilling stage production examines friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum-security facility.

Despite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murders of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank facility, he quickly learns that no one can survive alone. Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red, and things start to 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...

Joe McFadden’s television credits include Sex, Chips & Rock’n’Roll, PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat and Raf in Holby City. He competed in the 2017 season of Strictly Come Dancing winning the Glitterball Trophy with professional partner Katya Jones. On stage, recent credits include 2:22 – A Ghost Story at the Gielgud Theatre and UK tours of The Rocky Horror Show and Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d.

Boasting a 30-year stage career, Ben Onwukwe has seen leading roles with the RSC and the Royal Court, as well as 11 years on TV as Recall McKenzie in London’s Burning and, more recently, the role of Jackson Donckers in Professor T. He returns to the Theatre Royal Bath reprising his critically acclaimed performance as Ellis “Red” Redding, which he first played in the production’s 2016 tour and toured with the production to Bath in 2023. Ben also appeared on stage at the Theatre Royal Bath in The Full Monty in 2024, alongside Bill Ward.

Bill Ward is best known for his long-running performances as Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street and James Barton in Emmerdale. Theatre credits include Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Million Dollar Quartet and Spamalot in the West End. Bill returns to the Theatre Royal Bath following performances in Aladdin (2016), Shakespeare in Love (2028) and most recently baring all as Gerald in the UK tour of The Full Monty (2024).

The cast is completed by Graham Elwell (Bryan Hadley), Ashley D Gayle (Rooster), Jeffrey Harmer (Entwistle), Kyle Harrison-Pope (Tommy Williams), Kenneth Jay (Brooksie), Sean Kingsley (Bogs Diamond), Fernando Mariano (Rico), Aein Nasseri (Nelson) and Owen Oldroyd (Dawkins).