Review of Transpotting Live at The Core at Corby Cube

To describe Trainspotting Live as an intense performance feels almost like an understatement. This is perhaps one of the most full-on plays you could witness, and to call it a play therefore feels wrong as well. What we have here is an experience. As a theatre goer to this production, they present you with maybe the longest list of warnings you might get from a show. Featuring nudity, drug taking, feelings of claustrophobia and swearing among them, Trainspotting Live has it all and more.

First presented in this format at Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 by In Your Face Theatre, Trainspotting Live offers a condensed version of the cult 90s Danny Boyle film, framed by an opening ten minute rave with the cast. This opening section assaults your senses and breaks down much resistance for the story that unfolds next. A sharp and perfect fit 75 minute show which probably features about 60 minutes of storytelling, and the rest “experience”.

The cast cajoles, man handles, and intimidates its audience and for anyone totally comfortable with this, it is a perfect evening of true immersive theatre. It takes a lot of time for the story to get through. Much of the time, the drama of the life of these drug antics becomes lost in the humour and playfulness that the cast has with the audience. The ultimate destruction of the fourth wall.

Then it spins on its axis, and the fun and playfulness become lost to the horror as these people’s lives become exposed for what they really are. No more does the cast act up to the audience, the last twenty minutes become raw and desperate as we see the decline of the lives of these initially jolly few.

In the role of Renton, Andrew Barrett leaves everything exposed in his performance. Stripped bare and sh*t stained, he is both a funny and desperately sad character, and Barrett performs him excellently.

In fact, all the cast are brilliant, Lauren Downie, whose main roles are as June and Allison, also brings some excellent characterisation to roles such as a Canadian tourist and job centre worker, among others. Elsewhere Olivier Sublet is a truly scary presence as Begbie, wielding a pool cue with true menace. He also has a lively, very different turn as the source of the drugs Mother Superior.

Michael Lockerbie provides a very effective performance as Sick Boy and is really touching in his moment of absolute grief near the end in a moment I will not spoil for those unfamiliar with the story. Finally, Greg Esplin plays the role of Tommy, as he did in that first production back in 2014, and he is captivating and truly sad as his character becomes slowly exposed to the drugs he so long avoided. It is stirring stuff and exposes the huge differences between the first half of this show with the second.

Those well accustomed to the original film may be disappointed to find Spud absent from proceedings, however, Harry Gibson, who has adapted this version for the stage, has cleverly interwoven the character's greatest hits into the storylines of the featured characters. Therefore, if you desire to see some poo on the bedspreads, and maybe it wrapped around your head, Trainspotting Live is still for you.

Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher with Greg Espin and Ben Anderson has worked the show well into the traverse stage setup and while some dialogue is lost if you are at one end of the seating, for the best part, it works extremely well. The light design from Clancy Flynn is vivid in its extreme and there is an amazing strobe lighting sequence. Brilliant work from the cast in this section.

If all I have said to this point has not made it clear, Trainspotting Live is as aggressive, assaulting a production as you could find. There is no allowance in this production for anxious audience members. Wherever you’re seated, someone will probably expose you to physical contact, explicit swearing right in your face and potentially extreme no holds barred exposure to full nudity. If you are OK with all this, Trainspotting Live is an opportunity to witness theatre like no other, and for that, it comes highly recommended. Oh, and sit by the toilet if there is room, it is a perfectly safe location…

A brutal, assaulting piece of theatre, that if you think you can stomach it, you should see it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 7th September at the The Core at Corby Cube

Trainspotting Live runs at The Core until Saturday 11th September 2022.

For further details about The Core and to book tickets see their website at https://www.thecorecorby.com/

Production photos: Geraint Lewis