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Theatre listings > Trainspotting. - Tour. Adaptor and director - Harry Gibson from the novel of the same name by Irving Welsh. Designer – Suzanne Field. Lighting Designer - Tim Mascall. Sound Designer – Seb Frost. Company - Mark Goucher Ltd.Production's Website. Cast - here . 2006 Tour Dates and Times - here . Run Time – 2 hours, one interval. Reviewer – Vivien Devlin. NB Contains scenes of nudity, may shock not suitable for children. Highlights the pathetically comic. “Stark, brave and compelling” was the verdict of the Observer, “Utterly unmissable” said the Herald. The stage adaptation of Irvine Welsh`s debut cult novel, Trainspotting was a smash hit when it toured the UK, Australia, US and Canada, ten years ago. This blisteringly bleak portrait of a group of young heroin users living in Leith, Edinburgh was then adapted as a film starring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. Now Harry Gibson re-directs his original stage play for a UK tour. Why a revival? “Audiences love seeing it, actors love performing it, and I love directing it,” says Gibson. "The thing you see immediately when you read the novel - and it's true to this day - is that it is full of really great dialogue. Welsh comes from a storytelling tradition, he has a great ear for what works." The original novel is a collection of loosely related short stories, set around the mid 1980s during the first phase of the HIV epidemic, and explores the broader social conditions of Thatcher’s Britain. Its underlying tone is darkly cynical tinged with black humour and genuine empathy for its characters. Begbie, Renton, Tommy and Sickboy are as unforgettable a clutch of junkies, deadbeats and nutters as you will ever encounter. The narrative is staged as a series of monologues and colourful vignettes through which we learn about their egocentric beliefs, relationships, addictions and fears. They have no dreams. Life is boring, pointless and futile. But smack feels good. Ten years on, the coarse language, sadistic violence and graphic descriptions of sex and drug abuse, is no longer as shocking to an (enlightened) audience – from last night’s laughter, it’s more of an hilarious romp. This revival seems to highlight the pathetically comic aspect of their wasted lives as well as the extreme social divide, the haves and the have nots in Edinburgh. At a job interview he does not want, Tommy says he was at George Heriots rather than Craigroyston school, as they are not likely to give a porter’s job to a middle class boy who had a privileged education. ‘During the fxxxxxx Edinburgh Festival, you canny get a taxi’. Why have reserved seats on trains? It should be first come, first served, believes Begbie as he tears up a Darlington to King’s Cross seat reserved ticket and sits down for a bevvy fuelled journey to London. As Alison sums up her miserable existence, “What planet are we living on?”. The small ensemble of five (who play a medley of characters) throw themselves into the angst, anger and action. The pace was rather pedestrian in the first few monologues but it soon picked up speed (no pun intended). Trainspotting – cult novel, cult film, cult play – attracted a packed house at the King’s Theatre on the first night, with, rather inspiringly, dozens of chattering youngsters who may never have been to a theatre before. They were having a ball. © Vivien Devlin, 20 January 2006 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Cast - Begbie - BRIAN ALEXANDER, Alison - LAURA HARVEY, Renton - PETER MILNE, Sick Boy - PETER J IRELAND and Tommy RUARAIDH MURRAY. 2006 Tour Details of Mark Goucher Ltd's production of Trainspotting . Tour begins 19 - 21 Jan 2006 at 8pm North Finchley 0208 369 5454. 24- 28 Jan at Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre 01224 641122. 30 - 4 Jan at 7:30pm Sat Mat at 2:30pm Edinburgh Kings Theatre 0131 529 6000. 6 - 11 Feb at Cardiff The Sherman 029 2064 6900. 21 - 25 Feb at 7:45pm also Sat Mat at 2:30pm Dundee Rep 01382 223 530. 27 FEB - 4 Mar at Belfast Grand Opera House 9024 1919. 6 - 11 Mar at Oxford Playhouse 01865 305 305. 13 - 18 Mar Leicester Haymarket 0870 330 3131. 20 - 25 Mar at Norwich Playhouse 01603 598 598. 27 Mar - 1 Apr Salford Quays The Lowry 0870 787 5790. 10 - 15 Apr at Chester Gateway 01244 340 392. 18 - 22 Apr at Hackney Empire 020 8985 2424. 1 - 6 May at Birmingham Rep 0121 236 4455. 8 - 13 May at Alhambra Bradford 01274 432 000. 15 - 17 May at Durham Gala Theatre 0191 332 4041. 19 - 20 May at Kirkcaldy Adam Smith Theatre 01592 412929. 22 - 27 May at Bath Theatre Royal 01225 448844. Tour Ends. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Theatre listings >
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