The Shawshank Redemption is currently playing at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. John Byrne talks to one of the play’s stars, former EastEnders actor Joe Absolom.
Joe Absolom and Ben Onwukwe are the two lead actors in The Shawshank Redemption stage play, taking on the roles that were made legendary by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in the much-loved movie version of the Stephen King story Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
Joe, who is probably best known here in Ireland for his work in TV dramas such as BBC soap EastEnders, Doc Martin and A Confession, brings his natural charisma and emotional range to the role of Andy Dufresne, the innocent man who is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Meanwhile, Ben Onwukwe, who has appeared in numerous stage productions, TV shows and films - including 11 years on TV as Recall McKenzie in the ITV drama London’s Burning - portrays the wise and worldly ‘Red’ Redding with incredible depth and nuance.
With their chemistry, these two lead actors have captivated audiences while on tour across the UK as they bring this timeless story of hope and friendship to life on the stage.
Chances are you’ve seen the movie, and if so you'd be aware that in essence, it’s a story set in the brutal world of Shawshank prison, where two very different men who form an unlikely friendship and discover hope, courage, and redemption in the most unlikely of places.
John Byrne: Hi Joe. One thing I’d be curious about would be your experience of The Shawshank Redemption before you landed a role in the stage version. Were you a fan of the film? Have you read the book?
Joe Absolom: Well, I was aware of the film. It’s been on a lot but I haven’t actually watched it. I know the story - it’s one of those things that, over the years, by osmosis, you get to know about it.
When they sent me the script I thought it was brilliant. It’s a really good story. And when I realised it was a Stephen King story, it’s obviously got a really good pedigree. As a story on its own, it’s really good.
I haven’t read the book, but I did watch the film and fell asleep in the middle! It’s quite long.
The thing about the play is, there are bits in the film that people kind of forget... for instance, there’s a gang rape scene. So, in the film, it’s kind of - when you see people on stage, it’s a bit more powerful.
What would you say to people who saw and loved the film version of The Shawshank Redemption, but might be undecided about going to see the play, thinking they've already 'seen' it?
The thing is it holds up as a story. I’d imagine as a book it’s very good, and the film is very good, and I think our version on the stage is good.
There are times when these things stand alone, because of how good the story is, so it works as a play. And as for our production of it, most people come up to us and say, ‘I didn’t know how you were going to do it, but I really enjoyed it.’
It’s kind of powerful. You see a lot of people crying at the end of it. It’s a story of hope and you see that coming through, over the course of two hours.
You see us naked on stage at the start, as we’re ushered into prison, and then we end up in a different place two hours later - though the journey takes about 20 years. As I said, it’s powerful and I’m really proud of the show. I think it’s much better than I thought it was going to be.
It’s the kind of story, I always thought, that would lend itself well to a stage production as it’s ultimately about the relationship between two people. It’s not something on a colossal scale that requires a massive cast that wouldn't work on a stage.
You know that in a book it goes into so much more detail. And in a two-and-a-half to three-hour film, there’s no way you can fit all that in. But in the play the characters are a bit more fleshed out, a bit more evolved. But essentially it’s 12 middle-aged men in denim on stage for two hours.
If you’d never seen the film, the play would - a lot of people have said it’s even better than the film. When you see people on stage doing these things it resonates.
Have you performed in Dublin before? Are you familiar with the city?
No, I haven’t - but I have been to Dublin a couple of times. Went to a wedding and a stag do, and took my daughter when she was just a few weeks old. She’s now 16! It’s a city I really like.
I did the open-top bus tour and it’s a really good way of finding out all these bits of information about a city in a couple of hours. I’m going to take all the boys on the open-top bus tour as we’re in Dublin for two weeks, which is quite nice.
How long have you guys been on the road with this production?
We started rehearsing back in August and went on the road. We took Christmas off and started again in the new year, and the Dublin leg is our 17th and 18th week.
What happens when you do a play that much, it gets into your bones. And it’s a very different play to what it was when we started 18 weeks ago.
The Shawshank Redemption is currently playing at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin until 13 May. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster or the Gaiety Theatre Box Office on South King Street, Dublin 2.
All photos by Jack Merriman
