Famous faces to serve time in The Shawshank Redemption at the Blackpool Grand

Top TV stars Joe McFadden (Holby City, Heartbeat), Ben Onwukwe (London’s Burning) and Bill Ward (Coronation Street) are now locked in to headline the acclaimed stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption at Blackpool Grand Theatre this month

Plan your escape to witness this magnificent tale of friendship and resilience live on the Grand stage…

A talented trio of TV favourites are swapping prime time for prison time to star in the captivating new stage production of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 23 September to Saturday 27 September.

Bill Kenwright Ltd presents the stunning stage adaptation of Stephen King’s legendary short story, which stars Strictly Come Dancing champion and talented TV actor Joe McFadden (Raf in Holby City, PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat) as the wrongly convicted Andy Dufresne.

Joe will be joined by popular stage and screen actors Ben Onwukwe (Recall McKenzie in London’s Burning) as inmate Ellis ‘Red’ Redding and Bill Ward (Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street) as the corrupt prison warden Stammas in this thrilling production, which powerfully examines desperation, injustice, friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum-security facility.

We spoke to the cast to find out a bit more about the powerful prison tale before they arrive in Blackpool later this month…

Joe McFadden says of playing Andy Dufresne: "It's such a well-known story and he's such an iconic character, and some might say that's foolish to take on," he smiles. "But it feels like a really good challenge for me as an actor, and I do like a challenge." McFadden is a huge fan of both the book and film, saying that there will be surprises in store for theatregoers who are only familiar with the big screen version which starred Tim Robbins as Andy and Morgan Freeman as Red. "There's lots in it that they'll know from the movie, but it delves deeper into the novella and offers something extra. It's a brilliant script, so saying yes to it was a no-brainer for me."

The story starts in the late 1940s, when Andy is incarcerated at the notorious Shawshank facility, despite protesting his innocence, and soon learns no one can survive alone. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with prison fixer Red but is bullied into subservience by Warden Stammas when the latter exploits his talents for accountancy. Joe elaborates: "At first Andy ostracises himself from the other inmates, then realises he has to adapt. But he keeps his core values and retains his moral fibre in an immoral, dark and dangerous place. He’s a really intelligent guy who uses his brains to work the system. It's a story about hope in the darkest of places, and we could all do with a bit more hope and optimism in our lives.”

Glasgow-born Joe is best known on TV as PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat and Raf in Holby City. The latter was a particular highlight because: "I got to really explore a character for four years and I love it when you're with a company of actors and you get to know each other well. It was the same with the cast and crew on Heartbeat." Then there was the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, which saw Joe and his professional partner Katya Jones take the Glitterball Trophy. "Looking back, it was a really intense, rewarding, challenging and brilliant time." He laughs again. "I'm not sure I would want to do it again ever, but I'm really glad I took part when I did."

Elder inmate Red is played by Ben Onwukwe, whose 30-year stage career has seen him playing leading roles with the RSC and the Royal Court and who is best-known to TV audiences as Recall McKenzie from London's Burning. He first played Red role in the production's 2016 tour and was originally drawn to it because, like Joe, he sees it as a story about hope. "The word 'redemption' is right there in the title," Ben notes. "Most prison dramas are pretty grim, but this one is also about humanity - where in this morass of misery we find two people who have some goodness within them.

"With Red, he made the most disastrous mistake in his young life - a mistake that was so brutal that it led to three deaths - but he's made his peace with his crime and the fact that he's having to pay the price for what he did. He's a fascinating character and I love that I now have the challenge of playing him again with an entirely different cast." As in King's novella, he describes Red in the play as "an observant, intuitive and empathetic observer of people".

Ben recalls his time on London's Burning with a grin: "When I auditioned for it I thought it was something to do with The Clash and their song of the same name! Then when I landed it people were going 'It's the most exciting show on TV' and for me it was. It was wonderful to be able to pay homage to these people who are honourable, dutiful and, again, full of goodness."

The film of The Shawshank Redemption has been hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time. "And rightly so," says actor Bill Ward, who plays Warden Stammas in the stage version. "It was one of my favourite films growing up," and adds of the theatrical adaptation: "It's a beautifully written play about hope emerging from darkness. It has so many other compelling themes, like brotherhood, love and resilience."

Stammas is an amalgamation of three characters from the novella. "He's a really multi-faceted personality," Ward continues. "He's ruthless at his core, but he has ways, means and tactics for getting what he wants. He can be very charming and charismatic. He's not a one-note, nasty piece of work who you can see through immediately. A lot of the time, on the surface, he appears to be quite reasonable quite a lot of the time, but actually what he's doing is being extremely manipulative."

As for why people who've seen the film should come and see the play, he feels: "You get to meet these characters in the flesh and to walk in Andy's shoes as he makes this very moving journey, which is a very uplifting one, but which has some massively tricky road bumps along the way."

Ward's numerous TV credits include Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street and James Barton in Emmerdale. Of the former he laughs: "It seems so long ago now, and I have done so much since then, but people remember him because he was such a foul individual." On stage he's been in The Full Monty, Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Spamalot. "It's so different to doing telly. In theatre, you follow the arc all the way through. Getting to take a show like The Shawshank Redemption around the country is a joy because it's a wonderful story, and theatre is really just one great big shared experience of storytelling."

Book your visit now! This is one Grand story you definitely need to witness…

The Shawshank Redemption starring Joe McFadden (Raf in Holby City, PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat), Ben Onwukwe (Recall McKenzie in London’s Burning) and Bill Ward (Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street) is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 23 September to Saturday 27 September with matinee and evening performances.

Tickets from £15 with concessions for 1894 Club members and Friends of The Grand. Group rates are also available.

Please call the Grand Theatre Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk for full listings, bookings and further information.