"I missed the elements that make Boyle’s original film such an achievement: the nuanced humanity amid the ugly, brutal mayhem...The directors here go doggedly in pursuit of fun, and the result is way off-kilter. The actors are likable...The humor works. But we don’t get much sense of the characters as people...Neither does any sense of seamy tragedy...We’re cut off from the emotion of it...Without that dimension, the show is drained of all impact as it darkens toward the end."
Read more

"The audience has the option to imbibe during the show; it definitely helps to be relaxed, since chances are good that you will be sat on, pulled onstage or spattered with bodily fluids (fake ones, I hope)...The sheer outrageousness of the crew’s escapades will probably get you laughing, or screaming, at some point before the show is over, but is anyone really jonesing to see Renton’s shit-stained ass up close? Board this train at your own risk—and bring towels."
Read more

"The characters shoot up, get in fights, and fling mysterious substances at the audience. We laugh and cringe at their antics as the performers shove their characters' dysfunction in our faces...To what end? And that's where my admiration for 'Trainspotting' runs out. The sensationalism seems to be the point, rather than the hook through which we can understand an opioid epidemic that is presently devastating communities across the globe."
Read more

“Spreadbury-Maher and Greg Esplin...transform the nightmare into a dream machine...The ensemble all do an impressive job...The sense of inescapability makes ‘Trainspotting Live’ one of the most powerful theatrical experiences in the city...I can't think of a better metaphor for addiction than the feelings brought on by this play...The human condition is rarely as exposed and memorable as it is in this show.”
Read more

“For lovers of innovative and compelling theatre told by a vibrant team of artists, the best trip in the city right now is 'Trainspotting Live'...Turns what might normally be a passive viewing experience into something that feels more holistic and all-encompassing...The success of this emotional journey...speaks to the high level of excellence presented by every member of this creative team...This production grips you from the second you enter and never lets go.”
Read more

"From the moment you enter the rectangular, bisected room (chock full of haze, strobe lights and insanely loud music) to the play's final moments, the material has been given a presentation that is a bit too focused on making its audience deliberately uncomfortable. Not only is there a lot of almost inescapable audience participation, but I kept feeling that too many people watching the show were far too worried if they were going to become part of the show to fully focus on it."
Read more

"Outrageously funny and extremely immersive...'Trainspotting' in the theater is a little like attending an AA meeting, wherein the first half of an addict/alcoholic’s public confession is laced with hysterically rousing anecdotes of insobriety, followed by that big uh-oh moment when everything unravels tragically. On stage, Adam Spreadbury-Maher’s direction makes this difficult transition with unusual ease, in part because the lead performances take a naturalistic turn."
Read more

“The book’s scatological humour explodes all over the place...In the confines of this graffiti-strewn, strobe-lit black-box space, there is no escape. And the squalor and misery of Welsh’s overlapping stories seem viscerally real...For all its excremental antics and foul language, the play...ends up being an old-fashioned story of sin and redemption. That might not be a total delusion, but it does seem a little sentimental. Then again, even the best trip has its downside.”
Read more