Hope is a Good thing, maybe the Best Thing and No Good Thing ever Dies.
Like the film Schindler’s List, Tacoma Little Theatre’s production of The Shawshank Redemption portrayed humanity at its worst and at its best. Also, I had the same feeling upon leaving TLT, as I did upon viewing Schindler’s List; that I had gone through a profound, emotional and morally uplifting experience. On a less personal level, the production may not have had Steven Spielberg nor Hollywood big-bucks, but its quality was on a par with anything I have ever seen on Broadway or the West End. It was a tribute to director Blake R. York and Tacoma Little Theatre.
The Shawshank Redemption has had a long evolution beginning in 1982 with Stephen King’s novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, subtitled Hope springs Eternal. Originally set in a fictional prison in Maine in the late 1940’s and 1950’s, in 1994 it was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
Later in 2009 it was adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Jones. TLT’s production does not suffer the usual pit falls of a stage play adapted from a film i.e. a slow pace because of film’s short quick scenes changes, which are not possible on stage. In this production, due to the excellent set designer Jennifer York and the equally excellent director Blake R. York, the set was designed to not only create the realistic and sinister atmosphere of a prison, but to facilitate swift scene changes. Sound designer Beau Prichard’s haunting music, effectively covered a lot of the scene changes, and contributed to the overall eeriness.
Although there is a through-line in the play about the life-sustaining friendship between two in-mates, The Shawshank Redemption also has elements of a horror story as it depicts the terrifying conditions within the prison. In addition, it portrays the financial and humanitarian corruption of the U.S. Incarceration-Industrial Complex. Fortunately for the audience, most of the good guys win and the bad guys get the treatment they deserve.
The two inmates, Andy and “Red” have been found guilty of the same crime: murdering their wives. Red has been incarcerated most of his adult life and takes responsibility for his crime; in the prison hierarchy he has become highly influential as THE go-to person who can procure anything, without being a bully. Andy, a former Banker and Accountant claims he is innocent.
Initially Andy’s fate, at the hands of the prison guards and the sexually sadistic gang, is bleak but through his wit, inner strength, intelligence, resilience and especially his friendship with “Red,” he survives. He even outwits the corrupt prison warden, using his financial expertise. In the end, the two, Andy and Red, who would never have been friends on the outside, each learn from each other, and it is this deep friendship which saves them both spiritually and literally.
However, it is not just a Pollyannaish story, the author does not shy away from revealing that some people, even good people, who do the right thing pay the ultimate price at the hands of corrupt prison employees and the evils of decade’s long incarceration.
The cast was outstanding, especially Mark Petersen as “Red,” Andy’s friend. Throughout the play, he has several monologues recounting the events, filling in details, and explaining prison culture, which were expertly delivered in a deeply resonating voice packed with heart-wrenching emotion, without neglecting the humor and wit. Petersen’s performance was absolutely stellar and his character was the embodiment of a reformed sinner full of wisdom and compassion.
Mason Quinn as Andy Dufresne, the innocent Banker/ Accountant, in spite of some mumbling, conveyed the vulnerability of a white-collar, educated inmate completely out of his depth in prison culture. Yet he finds strength in hope, friendship and in selflessly helping others. Andy was also extremely shrewd; he used his quick wits to overpower a lot of literal and symbolic heavy-weights.
Joseph Grant as the totally repugnant warden, Gregory Stamos, conveyed all the hypocrisy and controlling tendencies of “small-man” sadism, using various methods of manipulation: Psychological torture, threats, unjust punishments, all the time posing as a righteous Bible-thumping religious zealot. Frankly, his religious duplicity made my blood boil. Grant was superb at playing a hypocritical villain, and he nailed the witty lines in the dialogue with panache. However, some of his lines were lost to the back row as his diction needed improvement.
Other standouts in the cast were Darius Sakui, as Tommy, a young car thief who is just about to turn his life around but pays the ultimate price for behaving honorably. As Tommy, Sakui demonstrated the internal struggles of someone torn between the safe familiarity of continuing on his thieving ways and the anxiety of the unknown, if he does become honest. He chooses the latter, but the Warden and the institutional malevolence of prison conspire against him.
Roger Iverson as Brooksie, another casualty of a lengthy prison sentence, was another stand-out, as a person so well-adjusted to prison life that he tries to refuse parole. Iverson conveyed remorse expertly for Brooksie’s crime as well as anxiety about life outside the prison gates after 50 years of incarceration. He also did justice to the humor in the script.
Although the subject matter of Shawshank Redemption is definitely not for the faint of heart, the production itself was awesome. TLT chose a deeply moving script, which was not devoid of humor, but the actual production was outstanding technically. Everything was exceptional from the simple yet evocative set, to the music which created a menacing atmosphere, the expert directing with impressive acting by the whole cast.
I heartily recommend The Shawshank Redemption, because productions of this caliber do not come along often. For Seattleites, the drive down I-5 can be very pleasant as the views of Mt. Rainier and the Cascades are gorgeous, traffic is light on Sunday afternoons, so I would recommend the Sun. matinée. N.B. Rated for 16 years old and up. See below
In my opinion, the violence and bad language were never gratuitous, they were represented as tastefully as possible
The Shawshank Redemption. Tacoma Little Theatre. 210 N I Street, Tacoma, WA 98403. Fri, Sat eve. 7:30 pm. Sun. 2pm. Til June 18. Street parking.
Info www.tacomalittletheatre.com
Tickets: https://tacomalittletheatre.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=418
From the program:
Shawshank Redemption contains the following
Scenes of non-consensual Sexual Activity
Onstage violence and death
Some adult male nudity
Strong explicit language