About the Show

New musical by Irvine Welsh and Stephen McGuinness. Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger.

Set in Edinburgh, the story follows Renton and his circle of friends—Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy and Kelly—as they navigate addiction, friendship and survival on the margins of society. Their lives unfold through a series of encounters shaped by rebellion, dependency and attempts to break free from destructive cycles, reflecting the realities of youth culture and disaffection.

The musical is written by Irvine Welsh, with music and lyrics by Stephen McGuinness and Irvine Welsh, and is directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger. Adapted from the original novel and film, the production brings together a cast of central characters alongside an ensemble and live band, incorporating both songs from the film and newly written material.

Marking thirty years since the release of the film, this stage version presents a reinterpretation of the source material through a combination of live music and theatrical storytelling, situating the narrative within a contemporary stage context.

Critic Reviews (8)

"It's difficult to really get an emotional grip on the characters, and while one can admire Welsh's sheer chutzpah in undertaking it, in the end it's an unhappy marriage of form and story."
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"It's leaden and formulaic where the book was coruscatingly fragmentary, sermonising and expository where Danny Boyle's 1996 film was darkly, hedonistically propulsive."
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"Sadly, the drug-addled escapades and illegal highs here look about as dangerous as a double-dose of Gaviscon."
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"The cast awkwardly shuffle around him through a rendition of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, like mourners, corralled into a karaoke session at a funeral."
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"It’s as if the story has been castrated, all its cynical, tough, jagged wit, all its fuck-you attitude lopped off."
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"Ultimately, it's the ineptitude rather than the tricky subject matter that sinks Trainspotting The Musical."
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"It is downright odd to see such cynical no-hopers as Renton (Lewis Kidd) and Sick Boy (Sheridan Townsley) going all jazz hands, and it undermines the power of Welsh’s characterisation."
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"You can't help lamenting the absence of the original movie soundtrack. The newly-written songs are no match for New Order, Primal Scream, Pulp or Blur"
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