The new Trainspotting musical has been met with criticism for failing to capture the grit and horror of Irvine Welsh's original story. The production, written by Welsh himself and directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, never settles on what it wants to be, lurching from comic scenes to power ballads with little subtlety.
Forgettable Songs and Baffling Moments
The original songs are largely forgettable, save for one number where the cast suddenly don cowboy hats and speak in Western twangs for no clear reason. Even covers like Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' feel like pleasant reminders of a better film. The cast, including Kieran Andrew's Spud, deliver strong performances but are trapped playing pale approximations of their film counterparts.
Loss of Impact
Key moments like Tommy's decline into addiction and Begbie's unpredictability are rushed or flattened into theatrical bluster. The staging struggles to evoke the grime of Leith, with rolling set pieces and projected backdrops lending a sanitised feel. The production mistakes recognition for reinvention, wheeling out iconic lines as applause cues without revealing anything new.
Fundamental Problem
The show feels somewhere between an after-school anti-drugs assembly and a soft-grunge Eurovision entry. The earnestness of musical theatre is antithetical to Trainspotting's gritty ethos. As one audience member noted, 'The last thing Sickboy would ever do is a peppy little jazz square.'
