Three decades after the cult film, Trainspotting The Musical will premiere at Theatre Royal Haymarket in July before touring the UK, bringing Irvine Welsh’s iconic characters back to life on stage.
Written by Irvine Welsh (adapted from his best-selling debut novel) and directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, the production will bring to life the story of the outsiders and the rebels in what is said to be a “brand-new expectation-defying and seismic British musical”.
It will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on Wednesday 15th July with tickets now on sale. A UK tour then starts in October, opening and closing in Edinburgh and coming to cities including Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton and Oxford; tickets for some tour dates are on sale now, with the rest available soon.
UK tour venues & dates
- Edinburgh Playhouse (19th - 24th October)
- Sheffield City Hall (26th - 31st October)
- Manchester Palace Theatre (2nd - 7th November)
- York Opera House (9th - 14th November)
- Hull New Theatre (16th - 21st November)
- Ipswich Regent Theatre (23rd - 28th November)
- Birmingham Alexandra Theatre (30th November - 5th December)
- Leeds Grand Theatre (7th - 12th December)
- Blackpool Opera House (14th - 19th December)
- Stoke Regent Theatre (4th - 9th January)
- Aberdeen His Majesty’s (11th - 16th January)
- Nottingham Theatre Royal (18th - 23rd January)
- Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre (25th - 30th January)
- Southend Cliffs Pavilion (1st - 6th February)
- Bradford Live (8th - 13th February)
- Oxford New Theatre (15th - 20th February)
- Sunderland Empire Theatre (22nd - 27th February)
- Dunfermline Alhambra Theatre (1st - 6th March)
- Brighton Dome (8th - 13th March)
- Glasgow Theatre Royal (15th - 20th March)
- Edinburgh Playhouse (22nd - 27th March)
The legacy of the 1996 cult classic film
In 1996 the “breakthrough British film” (The Guardian) Trainspotting was released and became the biggest grossing UK film of the year, taking more than $76 million worldwide and winning several awards including a BAFTA for Best Screenplay.
Three years later it was ranked tenth in the British Film Institute’s ‘Top 100 Greatest British Films of the 20th Century’. Now, 30 years later, cult heroes of British youth culture Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy and Kelly, are back alongside an ensemble cast and a live band.
Renton (played in the film by Ewan McGregor) will be played on stage by 26-year-old Scottish actor Robbie Scott, making his West End debut. Further casting will be announced soon.
A musical with heart
Writer Irvine Welsh said: “This musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film.
“The various stage adaptations of Trainspotting have become acclaimed and moving theatrical experiences and the soundtrack to the movie is obviously iconic. So it made sense to put the music and words together to create an explosive, provocative and entertaining show.
“People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also really need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off - it’s what being human is all about - and they’ll be well served with this too.”
The production will feature some of the tracks from the film alongside original songs with music and lyrics by Stephen McGuinness and Irvine Welsh.
To find out more about the show and group booking information for Trainspotting The Musical visit trainspottingthemusical.co.uk
