If you’re a fan of Irvine Welsh’s gritty style then you’re probably a fan of Trainspotting. The novel was Welsh’s debut novel and quickly achieved cult status, added to by the global success of the Trainspotting movie.
The novel first introduced us to characters such as Mark Renton, Spud, Simon Williamson, and the ultra-violent Begbie, and if these are characters you just can’t get enough of, then Trainspotting the live show is back out on tour in early 2018.
The show is well cast, Gavin Ross plays Renton, with Chris Denis as Begbie, Greg Esplin as Tommy, Michael Lockerbie as Sick Boy, and Calum Barbour as Mother Superior. Erin Marshall plays Alison, while Rachel Anderson plays Laura. You’re going to need to brush up on your Scottish before you sit down, the show is heavily accented, as you’d expect but as you can see from the snippet below it stays true to the gritty novel and is fast paced and fun:
Trainspotting is not for the faint hearted, and that includes the novel, movie and no doubt this stage show too. In the author’s words “I was fucking shocked and I wrote it.”
The adaptation runs for 75 minutes and was written by Harry Gibson. Due to the nature of the storyline, it’s suitable for adults only, and judging by the reviews catches the black humour and darkness of life for the Trainspotting crew deftly and with great skill.
The tour starts on 30th January and runs through until 20th May visiting towns and cities across the UK. If you’d like to see if there’s a show near you, or buy tickets then you can find all the details at the Trainspotting Live website, and if you haven’t yet read the book and would like to do so first then you probably still have time to do so.
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