A live performance of The Shawshank Redemption is coming to Dublin this year.
The play, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, will be performed at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin from May 1 to 13, 2023. The Dublin performance comes after a successful UK tour.
Joe Absolom who plays Andy Dufresne said: "I’m thrilled we get to take The Shawshank Redemption to The Gaiety and am looking forward to sharing it with audiences in May. I also can’t wait to explore Dublin a little more while I’m there. I’ve been a couple of times, but still look forward to a proper Guinness!"
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The novella was also turned into a 1994 feature film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The synopsis for the play reads: "espite protests of his innocence, Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife and her lover. Incarcerated at 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 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…"
Ben Onwukwe, who boasts a 30-year stage career, will be playing inmate Ellis “Red” Redding. Onwuke 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.
Onwukwe said: “I’m delighted to be returning to the role of 'Red' in this amazing production. The Shawshank Redemption film is one which many hold close to their hearts, and it’s exciting to be bringing Stephen King’s story to new audiences. It is a modern meditation on hope and in these times, it is hoped that we need."
The cast is completed by Mark Heenehan (Stammas), Kenneth Jay (Brooksie), Coulter Dittman (Tommy Williams), Joe Reisig (Bryan Hadley), Owen Oldroyd (Entwistle), Jay Marsh (Bogs Diamond), Jules Brown (Rico), Leigh Jones (Rooster), Kieran Garland (Dawkins), Samarge Hamilton (Kelly).
Tickets from €21.50 are on sale now from Ticketmaster.
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