Liberating stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption thrills at Wycombe Swan

Liz Nicholls reviews the liberating stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, starring Joe McFadden, Ben Onwukwe and Bill Ward, at Wycombe Swan until Saturday 14 March 2026.

As a kid, I devoured anything by Stephen King. The man is unstoppable. From haunted hotels to killer clowns, his stories have terrified generations – yet one of his most beloved tales, the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, contains no supernatural horrors at all.

Instead, The Shawshank Redemption is about endurance, friendship and the stubborn power of hope. The 1994 film is often named in film fans’ top three. So how to bring this beloved yet dark story to the stage and keep fans locked in?

After wowing critics around the UK, now Owen O’Neill & Dave Johns’ adaptation has arrived at Wycombe Swan Theatre. And it’s gripping from the start. Despite the bleak and brutal US prison setting, this production manages the tricky balance of darkness and warmth.

Performances are excellent across the board, with Joe McFadden delivering a wonderfully quiet and compelling Andy Dufresne, while Ben Onwukwe brings gravitas and dry humour to Red (Morgan Freeman’s character), the inmate who becomes Andy’s closest friend.

Bill Ward is suitably menacing as the bullying warden. Among the inmates, the deranged, echoing laugh from Rooster (Ashley D Gayle) becomes an oddly memorable moment – the kind that ripples through the audience and lingers in the air.

The prison set is stark and striking, with clanking metal that makes the audience feel almost incarcerated alongside the characters. Yet moments of humour are cleverly woven throughout.

With heavy themes including gang rape, injustice and despair, it’s never going to be a hoot but there are great funny moments, proper belly laughs. Small touches stand out too: fleeting snippets of music that feel like tiny sips of freedom in an otherwise oppressive world.

Like the beloved 1994 film starring Tim Robbins, this stage version reminds us why the story has endured for decades. It’s thrilling, moving and unexpectedly uplifting. For a tale set almost entirely behind bars, it proves remarkably exhilarating theatre.

Make sure to book in and catch the show during its stretch in Wycombe, and you will come out feeling unburdened.

Share