‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Sets All-Western Cast for Chinese-Language Stage Adaptation in Shenzhen, China
Matt William Knowles stars as Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption.
Once banned in China, Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” had its much-anticipated debut as a stage play in the country’s tech capital Shenzhen on Jan. 4. Adding to its unusual status, the play is performed in Chinese by a cast of Western actors who are based in the Middle Kingdom.
Based on King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” the 1994 Frank Darabont-directed film adaptation “The Shawshank Redemption,” starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, became one of the most iconic and enduring movies for millions of viewers around the world. Thirty years later, it still regularly appears on lists of most popular films. Complete with corrupt prison officers and a cunning jail break, the story closely observes a friendship and the fears of inmates who are being held in the Shawshank State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison.
