Trainspotting (2010)

Poster by Poster Designer

by Harry Gibson (adapted from the novel by Irvine Welsh)

Directed by Peter Stevens

Performances: Tue 20th – Sat 24th February Production Year, Prompt Corner

Introduction

Mark Renton and friends welcome us to a visceral world of bedroom accidents, domestic violence and heroin addiction. This adaptation of Irvine Welsh's seminal novel pulls no punches.

Cast

• Mark Renton - Tom Hancock
• Tommy Murphy/Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson - Karl Gibbons
• Alison/Lizzie MacIntosh - Holly McFarlane
• Franco Begbie/Johnny Swan - Steve Imrie
• Newsreader (Voice) - Helen Chadney
• Drunk - Alan Brown

• Additional Cast - Nick Conway, Patrick Halpin, Julia Patson, Deirdre Parks, Adam Ede, Piper Jacobsen

Crew

• Production Manager - Mark Bullock
• Production Assistant - Kerry Vandersteen
• ASM - Deirdre Parks
• Production Artist - Hazel Hindle
• Make up - Helen Chadney & Julia Patson
• Film & Photography - Becan Rickard-Elliot
• Fight Co-ordinator - Anton Krause

Reviews

Hazel

This is an amazing and adventurous play brilliantly directed and realised by Peter Stevens with the set designed by Mark Bullock. The play takes place on three sides and on multi levelled platforms, with the audience encouraged to encroach on the floor area to be a part of the set. I can't remember all the names of the cast- gulp sorry - but there are utterly believable and mesmerising.

suej

You know that you are in for an uncomfortable ride with the subject matter anyway and the choice of promenade performance just sucks you in and makes it all the more powerful. The set is fantastically supported by excellent lighting choices and use of monitors pushes the point of dissociation that ( I assume) the fix gives you. It s unrelenting,graphic,the humour in bad taste but for all that makes you laugh. Trainspotting will not be for everyone and granted you may prefer to sit through your theatre but I urge you in the spirit of SLT 's pride in pushing the envelope occasionally-get up from your comfort cushion and suffer a little for this art.

Katwoman

Big congratulations to cast and crew for 'going on with the show' in the face of a rather enduring power cut. And all the people who rallied round to make sure that there was light.

I'm not crazy about being made to stand around in the theatre and certainly hadn't engaged with the play when I read it on the page. But this uncompromising production, with imaginative sound, lighting and film clips really drew me - and I think the rest of the audience - into its dark little world.

Which is something you need when faced with a bunch of pretty unsympathetic Edinburgh junkies drowning in squalor and a fair bit of self pity - though leavened throughout with humour (Helen's Moira Stewart impression on the TV …).

There are excellent performances from Tom Hancock as the lynchpin, Renton, a cast against type Steve Imrie as the profane psycho, Begbie and newcomers to SLT, Karl Gibbons and Holly McFarlane - both of whom were brave and completely undaunted by the demands of their parts.

I hope that a larger audience is able to see and feel what our smallish one (25-30 people) did) - and suspect that those sitting down may have missed a fair bit of the action. Perhaps a little more audibility - and more use of the rostra ranged around the walls - would have made the action more accessible. And I was unconvinced that the miming 'helpers' added much to the story - it felt a bit tacked on.

But overall, really worth seeing - and once again a production that shows how worthwhile it is to push the boundaries of content, taste and style.

Kippa

excellent accents (though I know I tuned out once or twice when the accents and the unrecognised words got too much for me ...)

I had a brilliant night though (once the lights came back on!). I loved the way the play was staged - and the fact that, as the audience is pretty free-flowing, I was always able to get to a spot where I could see the action (initially a bit of a concern, given my height, or lack of it). Certainly last night the seats were empty most of the time, so you could sit on them as and when you needed a break from standing up. Excellent acting from all four leads (though I sometimes got confused about who they were at any given moment), though I could have done with a bit more volume in some places. They could sometimes have done with taking their own advice about talking slowly and loudly to us foreigners ... I can heartily recommend this production to all over-18s!

Michael Wilson

I was really impressed by last night's production and I for one liked the promenade format. Prompt felt much bigger than usual without all the seating, and it made a welcome change having the action going on around and among the audience. It made you feel like a voyeur witnessing the action at really close quarters while being invisible to the actors (no audience participation is called for!) How well it will work with larger numbers is hard to say.

The play is not itself a great work and I failed to understand some of the broader Scots. But that was more than compensated for by powerful performances from all the cast and especially Tom Hancock who brought a telling mix of recklessness, charm and vulnerability to his character. The set, sound, lighting and film sequences all support the action seamlessly. Congratulations to Peter and everyone who worked on it for creating such a challenging and original show.

JK2

Well done to all concerned. This was a truly memorable and innovative production. I loved being in the thick of the action and being so close to everything, although on a couple of occasions I felt just a little bit too close. The script is fairly unrelenting in its portrayal of Edinburgh's druggie community and some of the scenes were pretty unpleasant as were most of the characters but the whole thing made for pretty compulsive watching.

Carole

Really powerful stuff, very imaginatively staged and flawlessly acted, particularly by Tom. I was rivetted throughout and only aware of standing because I was so involved in moving to follow the action. I felt that the mimes really enhanced the theatricality of it all but they did get in the way a bit sometimes in the first act (or maybe I was getting in their way!)

A production that has repaid its selection for the season 100%.

I suspect that going tonight or tomorrow would be a good idea as your experience of it will be greater the fewer people there are in

Rachael Watkins

Sterling job by all actors involved, such commitment and focus - a real pleasure to witness.

I was completely transfixed from beginning to end, even though at times it was hard to watch.

A brave and very different form of theatre at SLT that pushed boundaries, well done Peter et al.

Induja

This is one of the best productions I have seen at SLT. The performances are slick,strong and very brave - congratulations especially to Tom Hancock- Prompt space used ingeniously, fab set, sound and lighting. Promenade format works well, adds to atmosphere, no problem with visibility (little people just move forward!) You know the play is harsh and this production will have you chewing your nails! Really well done Peter and whole cast.

Reminiscences and Anecdotes

Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.

See Also

Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.

Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.

References

<references/>