You have seen "Walls of Hope" a thousand times on the screen, and you will enjoy it in the theater as well

The stage adaptation of "Bridge" to Stephen King's story may not be particularly exciting and does not surpass the beloved film, but it is a rather charming show with great actors, which manages to move, laugh and anger.

The magic still hovers over the story of the prisoners Red and Andy Dufrain, even in this variation

Nadav Menuhin

10/20/2022

Thursday, October 20, 2022, 00:29

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Andy Rose forever.

From "Walls of Hope" (photo: Sergey Demianchuk, courtesy of Gesher Theater)

A strange phenomenon has been happening in the Israeli theater in recent years, almost an identity crisis of the medium: adaptations of successful motion pictures simply take over the stages.

A partial list of such projects, which have been uploaded or will be uploaded in the coming seasons, includes "Vulcan Crossing", "Pass the Wall", "Zero in Human Relations", "Aviva Ahuvoti", "Late Wedding", "Givat Halfon does not answer", "The Life According to Agfa", "Perfect Strangers" and another production of "The Band".

We emphasize: there is nothing wrong with the adaptation of a work from one medium to another, and some of these adaptations are significantly different from the films on which they are based, and it is true that a similar phenomenon can also be seen on Broadway.

One can also appreciate that these adaptations help to attract audiences to the halls, yet it is hard not to wonder: is this trend not exaggerated, or does it express feelings of inferiority of a very old medium towards his relatively younger and much more successful brother?

Be that as it may, this list is now joined by another play based on a movie, and another movie: "Walls of Hope", which is currently being staged at the Gesher Theater directed by Noam Shmuel.

It's better to be precise: the play written by Owen O'Neill and Dave Jones and traveling around the world since 2009 is based, like the film, on "Rita Hayworth and the Escape from Shushank", a novel by Stephen King that was published in the file "Changing Seasons" - which also included the story from which a wonderful movie is based Another, "me and the guys".

However, the film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, became a cultural sensation over the years and became one of the favorite films of all time, and hence for the audience that comes to watch it in Israel - it is known first of all as a cinematic work (and this is how the play is also marketed on the Gesher website).

Within the familiar framework - these are the players who make the difference.

From "Walls of Hope" (photo: Alexander Hanin, courtesy of Gesher Theater)

What made "Walls of Hope", a rather long film, which includes violent scenes, has no female characters and takes place almost entirely between prison bars, into such an iconic and beloved work?

This is a question to which the answer is not obvious, certainly considering the fact that the film failed at the box office when it was released, and gained fame precisely when it was distributed on video tapes and cable broadcasts.

It can be suggested, simply, that the touching story about the desire for freedom and transcending the violent frameworks that bind man - a story that ends in victory - can speak to the hearts of many good people.

Faced with the weight of expectations that is at stake here, Gesher's version may not surpass the film and does not shake the heads of the sifs, but it turns out to be quite a charming show, which manages to excite, laugh and anger.

In other words: the magic still hovers over the story of Red and Andy Dufrain, even in this variation.

More in Walla!

Even after more than 70 years, it's hard not to be moved by the most predictable ending in history

To the full article

In what is designed wisely and efficiently.

From "Walls of Hope" (photo: Alexander Hanin, courtesy of Gesher Theater)

For the benefit of those who live on the moon or abstain from popular culture but for some reason want to read a review of an adaptation of one of the most famous stories of recent decades, we will mention the main points of the plot, but we will not avoid spoilers: Andy Dufrain (Uri Yaniv, "Shavas", "The Shop That Has is a banker who was convicted of murdering his wife and lover, even though he is innocent. He is thrown into Shawshank Prison, an institution with an opaque, cruel and hypocritical director (Mickey Leone) and sadistic guards. Andy slowly forms relationships with other inmates, in particular with Red, who manages to escape They want to go to prison for every bidder (Yuval Yanai), and together they try to do good in this cursed place. In exchange for improving the conditions, Andy is asked to help manage the accounts of the corrupt manager, and in the moment of truth, after decades in prison - he escapes to freedom through a secret tunnel that he patiently dug Behind a poster of Rita Hayworth that hung in his cell.

This is a relatively simple act, which does not shy away from kitsch but deals with weighty issues: man's aspiration for freedom, systemic violence and the moral hypocrisy of prison systems, the possibilities of resistance to such violence, the importance of solidarity and certainly maintaining a photographer in conditions of survival, alongside an extensive preoccupation with codes of masculinity.

Andy Dufrain represents those who refuse to give up their humanity, among men who have given up their lives, their morals and their freedom.

"It all boils down to one simple choice: either you start living or you start dying," is the mantra that accompanies the show, and is intended to serve as a message to anyone who faces any type of crisis.

There are some minor plot differences between the play version and the film version - through the death of young inmate Tommy Williams for example - but these are not significant.

A certain difference in the casting is more noticeable: you are in the character of Red, who in the movie is played by Morgan Freeman, as I recall, played here by a white actor, but there is a plausible explanation for this - the original character written by King is that of a white Irishman, and the filmmakers are the ones who decided to change it.

The magic is also present in this version.

From "Walls of Hope" (photo: Alexander Hanin, courtesy of Gesher Theater)

So within the fairly familiar framework, the players make the difference.

Mickey Leone is great as the corrupt and cynical prison warden.

Uri Yaniv, who is mostly known as a comic actor, is captivating in the dramatic main role, Vinay is convincing as his best friend and as the narrator of the story.

The chemistry between these two is excellent, and we sincerely hope that their characters will meet again after the end of the story.

And the show is stolen by two other actor-prisoners: Alexander Sandrovich as Broxie, the aging prisoner who runs the prison library and prefers not to be released, and his farewell speech upon his release drew applause from the audience;

and Shir Sage as the reckless but kind-hearted Tommy Williams, who may not be on stage long, but he makes good use of it.

The stage itself is designed cleverly and without much sophistication as a prison with two levels, doors that separate spaces and cells on the sides of the stage, without significant decor changes or any unusual measures.

Efficient, accurate, but not exciting either.

This expresses well the spirit of the show: there is nothing exciting or extraordinary about "Walls of Hope", just a wonderful story and decent work by excellent professionals, in a fun evening at the theater.

As you have seen him a thousand times on screen, you will surely enjoy doing it again on stage.

• culture

• in what

• theater

Tags

• Gesher Theatre

• walls of hope