Ever since reading Stephen King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the opening novella in his 1982 anthology Different Seasons (highest recommendation), it has been one of my favorite stories of all time. Twelve years later, Frank Darabont's 1994 film made me fall in love with it all over again. (Apparently I am not alone in this -- IMDB's list of the top 250 movies as voted by the viewing public, consistently places Shawshank in the Top 3. It is currently #1.)

The story of a man given a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit, the friendship he develops with another hardened-but-wise inmate, and the manner in which he leaves everyone with whom he comes in contact changed, has become a very personal metaphor for millions who see parallels between their own struggles and that of a man who refuses to give up, who perseveres under the unimaginable stress, and who embraces hope like a life raft. As the tagline goes: Fear can hold you prisoner -- hope can set you free.

DIFFERENT SEASONS (1982) -- one of King's best
Features Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, The Body (basis for the film Stand By Me), and The Breathing Method. Seek this one out.

Now it looks like this amazing story is going to tackle a new venue. According to Lilja's Library (one of the best King resources on the web):

It looks like The Shawshank Redemption will become a stage play ...

A new stage version of Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption will have its world premiere in Dublin in May.

Adapted by Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns from King's novella, the production will be directed by Peter Sheridan.

The Shawshank Redemption will open at the Gaiety Theatre on Tuesday, 19 May with previews from Thursday, 14 May.

Full cast details will be announced in early 2009.

This news was actually announced a couple weeks ago by CapsuleFilms.com, who also posted the first look at the poster.

I don't know if they can pull this off, but with source material this good, I wish I could take a trip to Ireland this spring.

I'll keep you updated.