Theatre reviews: The Shawshank Redemption | Fawlty Towers - The Play

The Shawshank Redemption, Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh ★★★★

Fawlty Towers - The Play, King’s Theatre, Glasgow ★★★

It’s rare to see the Lyceum Theatre packed to the rafters during the January lull in Scottish theatre-making. One of James Brining’s aims, though, as artistic director, is to use the Lyceum’s programme of visiting shows to attract a wider audience; and he certainly seems to have succeeded with his first choice of the year, the current Bill Kenwright touring production of The Shawshank Redemption, starring Joe McFadden and Ben Onwukwe.

In its 1994 film version by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption has, after all, become one of the most popular stories of all time, streamed by millions every year, and much loved for its combination of harsh prison realism, and an almost dream-like narrative arc that celebrates the ultimate power of the undefeated human spirit.

To capture this epic story in just two concentrated hours of theatre is no easy task; and there are moments when this deft and thoughtful adaptation by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns - based on Stephen King’s original 1982 novella - seems more like a series of edited highlights than a fully formed play, as wrongly imprisoned banker Andy Dufresne arrives in the notorious Shawshank prison, and slowly begins to forge himself a place in prison society as assistant librarian to the inmates, and tax adviser to the prison staff.

READ MORE: Joe McFadden on playing Andy in The Shawshank Redemption: 'somehow he holds on to a sense of integrity'

All the major elements of the story are powerfully present, though, with Joe McFadden perfectly capturing Andy’s rare combination of outward fragility and formidable inner strength; while Ben Onwukwe as his friend and narrator “Red” Redding, the wily prison fixer, reflects movingly on what Andy’s presence and character mean to him, as a hard-bitten long-term inmate.

David Esbjornson’s production is particularly strong in capturing the sheer depth of corruption in the prison, radiating downwards from a Warden Stammas (an impressive Bill Ward) who would literally kill to protect his shady financial dealings; his prime victim, Andy’s young friend Tommy, is poignantly and powerfully played by Kyle Harrison-Pope. And if the story’s ending - beautifully delivered by Ben Onwukwe - seems more romantic than convincing, perhaps that’s the point; in a story that urges us to hold fast to our dreams of better times, even in moments when the power of evil and injustice seems overwhelming.

If Andy Dufresne has become a global icon of quiet resistance, Basil Fawlty is surely - in a very British way - the epitome of a man defeated by life, whose only remaining batsqueak of protest lies in his relentless grumpiness, and jaw-dropping rudeness to complete strangers.

Fawlty Towers - The Play, which arrives in Edinburgh on Tuesday, is a tribute show in the purest sense of the word; a compilation of much-loved scenes from the short-lived but unforgettable TV comedy series of the 1970s that is always strongest when it mimics the original material most closely, and that knits its scenes together so loosely, over a short 90 minutes plus interval, that it’s not entirely clear when it has come to an end.

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What’s undeniable, though, is that Danny Bayne as Basil, Mia Austin as his domineering wife Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as Manuel the waiter, and Joanne Clifton as long-suffering chambermaid Polly, all rise magnificently to the challenge of evoking the spirit, style and appearance of the show’s original stars, John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs and Connie Booth. And if The Shawshank Redemption is an all-male show that appeals strongly to women, Fawlty Towers is a show that attracts male theatre-goers in unusual numbers; and has them wiping away tears of laughter, recognition and gratitude, for the sheer skill of an acting team who can make this great comedy live again, even if only for a couple of hours.

The Shawshank Redemption is at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until 24 January; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 24-28 March; and His Majesty’s, Aberdeen, 7-11 April. Fawlty Towers -The Play is at the Playhouse, Edinburgh, 27-31 January.

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