THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Comes to the Marlowe This September

Inspired by the classic film and based on the novella by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption comes to Canterbury next month (September).

Paul Nicholls, Ben Onwukwe and Jack Ellis star in this powerful and acclaimed production at The Marlowe Theatre, which is directed by the award-winning David Esbjornson.

The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy Dufresne (Nicholls), a banker handed a double life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife and her lover, who finds himself incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank penitentiary.

Unflinching in his protests of innocence, Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red (Onwukwe), and things take a slight turn for the better. However, when Warden Stammas (Ellis) decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched.

The play examines desperation, injustice, friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum security facility. The 1994 movie starred Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis 'Red' Redding and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Freeman. It is regularly voted as the nation's favourite film.

Paul Nicholls is best known for playing heartthrob Joe Wicks in EastEnders, and has since appeared in acclaimed television programmes Grantchester, Death in Paradise and The C Word. Paul made his West End debut in Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Lyric Theatre before appearing in Festen (Lyric, West End) and Vincent in Brixton (National), both directed by Rufus Norris. He has also appeared in several plays at the Tricycle, Bush, Hampstead and Almeida.

Ben Onwukwe boasts a 30-year stage career having appeared in productions at The RSC and The Royal Court Theatre. Television credits include EastEnders, Coronation Street and Doctors but his most prominent role was as Stuart 'Recall' McKenzie in London's Burning, a character he played for more than a decade.

Jack Ellis is best known for his role as prison warder Jim Fenner in the hugely popular ITV television series Bad Girls, in which he appeared for seven series. Other television credits include Prime Suspect and Coronation Street. His theatre credits include Sam Mende's production of Richard III (Old Vic, world tour and Brooklyn Academy Of Music in New York), Great Expectations (Vaudeville) and Yaël Farber's production of The Crucible (Old Vic).

Stephen King is one of the most popular authors of contemporary literature and has written 54 published novels which have sold more than 350 million copies around the world, many of which have been adapted into feature films, including Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption.

David Esbjornson is an award-winning international director and his work includes the Broadway debut and West End productions of Driving Miss Daisy, starring Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Boyd Gaines, for which David received the Whatsonstage Award for Best Revival for the West End run. In 2005, he directed the West End premiere of Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men, produced by Bill Kenwright and starring Rob Lowe.

The Shawshank Redemption is at The Marlowe Theatre at 7.30pm from Monday 12 to Saturday 17 September, with 2.30pm matinees on the Thursday and Saturday. Tickets, which cost from £18 to £36 (concessions available; booking fee applies), are from the Box Office on 01227 787787, or at marlowetheatre.com.

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