Lewis Kidd and Sheridan Townsley in Trainspotting [Matt Crockett]

TRAINSPOTTING
Theatre Royal Haymarket
3 stars

Musicals can explore difficult, dark and gritty themes. But Irvine Welsh’s adaptation of his 1993 book and Danny Boyle’s 1996 film, developed for the stage and directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, loses the bite and edge of the original.

Welsh co-wrote the music and lyrics with Stephen McGuinness, yet their songs sit oddly with classic hits such as Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life and Lou Reed’s Perfect Day. And the actors’ delivery is restrained, lacking volume and the necessary in-yer-face clout.

Welsh says he combined his prequel Skagboys with Trainspotting for the musical. The dark themes are still there – heroin addiction, violence, poverty, betrayal, and the devastating effects of Aids – though they feel muted.

Maybe it’s the Theatre Royal’s proscenium arch; either way, we remain emotionally distanced from the story’s tragic moments, and there’s little sense of urgency or danger in this musical version.

The new songs and Christina Andrea’s choreography are polished, almost polite, and would have benefited from some roughness around the edges.

As ever in theatre today, the e-cigarettes are a distraction, as the actors puff away trying to create some smoke. Watching characters get high loses its appeal after a while, even with Douglas O’Connell’s evocative video projections.

Scottish identity is more clearly woven into the adaptation and the working-class Leith community anchor the production. But what makes Trainspotting worth the trip is the energy and commitment of the superb cast: Renton (a pitch-perfect Lewis Kidd) and his mates Spud (Sheridan Townsley), Sick Boy (Kieran Andrew), Begbie (Frankie O’Connor) and Tommy (Finlay Paul).

Until September 5
trainspottingthemusical.com