The stage adaptation of the 1994 Oscar nominated “Shawshank Redemption” is currently being performed at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms as part of the city’s Fringe Festival.
Stephen King’s, now classic, story of life inside an American penitentiary; based primarily around the two main characters of Red and Andy; focuses on their daily struggles over many years to overcome adversity and retain their hope and dreams for a future, outside the walls of “The Shank”.
Kyle Secor plays the straight line Andy Dufresne wonderfully and proves a fitting match to his screen counterpart, evoking sympathy, sorrow and admiration from his audience.
Much has been said of comedian Omid Djalili’s interpretation of Red, portrayed in the movie by Morgan Freeman and, undoubtedly, a hard act to follow. Djalili led the cast with a powerful portrayal of a key character, owning the part and drawing the audience in to a heart warming and wholly convincing portrait of a likeable character.
Together the strong cast were supreme, the production; simple yet effective and the show held the audience, on a sold out Wednesday, utterly enthralled to the tear filled ending.
The Shawshank Redemption is being performed at the Assembly Rooms, George Street until August 25.