Trainspotting the Musical at Theatre Royal Haymarket Review
Lewis Kidd (Renton). Photo: Matt Crockett
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Content Warning: Contains very strong language, violence and depictions of drug use.
Irvine Welsh’s debut novel about heroin users in the Leith area of Edinburgh has achieved cult status, already adapted into a stage play and then the massively successful 1993 film, directed by Danny Boyle and starring a host of Scottish talent. A film sequel, based on Welsh’s novel Porno and featuring the same characters, was released in 2017, another commercial and critical success. Now, perhaps the inevitable has happened, as Trainspotting the Musical opens in London ahead of a UK tour.
There’s a lot of debate as to whether films NEED to be turned into musicals and although critics and audiences love original stories like Operation Mincemeat and Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, there is still plenty of space for book and film adaptations, if the source material is strong and the production well done. But whilst acknowledging the brilliance of Trainspotting as a book and film, it does not translate well to musical theatre.
Irvine Welsh has written the book and co-written the original songs with Stephen McGuinness. It is full of his trademark style – fast-paced dialogue delivered in thick Scottish accents and dialect with brutal monologues taking a visceral and poetic tone. But this style is very hard to follow when the audience doesn’t have the luxury of turning back a page or rewinding a film, so it’s a bit of an exhausting assault on the senses. Songs from the film are performed alongside the new material, and while Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” doesn’t quite lend itself to vocal harmonies, songs like “Mad World” and “Perfect Day” pack a real punch when performed by the ensemble cast. The original songs lack a stand-out hummable tune, and watching a couple of them, we are all Spud, wondering “Am I high?” when Rent Boy appears out of nowhere and sings him a tender ballad after he has soiled the bed.
There’s no clear story, it’s more a series of vignettes giving us a taste of life in this community. It’s peppered with violence, very strong language and drug use. Nothing is glamourised and it’s a community devoid of opportunity, hope or even humanity. There are too many characters to allow for any real development – we only touch on their experiences. It’s as if by trying to fit so much of the book’s content into this adaptation, nothing has a chance to breathe or develop. Some of the characters’ stories are potentially powerful and heartbreaking, particularly Renton’s family and Sickboy and Alison’s relationship, but we barely scratch the surface in the urgent need to move on to the next sequence.
Despite the shortcomings of the adaptation, you cannot fault the talent and energy of the cast. They are all fully committed, there’s a clear resemblance in the styling to the characters we know from the film, and there are some fantastic vocalists on the stage. Lewis Kidd is a strong central presence as Renton and Frankie O’Connor oozes menace and barely controlled violence as Begbie. Although the writing is rather one-dimensional for the women, Rosie Dignan shows a real vulnerability as Alison.
The staging is also strong and appropriate for the tone of the show. Caroline Jay Ranger has injected (pun not intended) frantic and urgent energy into the choreographed movement, with the ensemble often performing as if they are one mass – creating striking tableaux and whirling across the stage moving furniture and scenery in perfectly organised chaos. Colin Richmond’s set is perfectly evocative of the period and projections from Douglas O’Connell draw us into the hallucinations experienced by the characters.
Trainspotting the Musical is a bold endeavour but one that does not feel suitable for musical theatre treatment. The material offers few (natural) highs to offset the bleakness and, for anybody unfamiliar with the film, I imagine it would be a confusing and challenging watch. There are many theatrical choices in London this summer. If you’re going to Choose Trainspotting, you’ll be in for an experience unlike any other, but one that definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Trainspotting the Musical runs at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 5th September 2026, ahead of a UK tour. Find out more here.
★ ★