Trainspotting Live

In Your Face Theatre is an ensemble that truly lives up to its name. Trainspotting Live is an immersive theatrical experience like no other. Trainspotting has not only returned as a film sequel but also a live stage production. All the confronting elements of the original story are transformed into a highly visceral experience of the personal degradation related to a drug addicted existence. No audience member is spared direct and palpable contact with this frequently distasteful, yet mesmerising material.

Renton (Gavin Ross) is a compelling and menacing character at the centre of the story. Begbie (Chris Dennis) and Sick Boy (Michael Lockerbie) exude a level of pent up anger and aggression that is ready to explode at any moment. Tommy (Greg Esplin) is a poignant character who slobbers his woes upon the audience. The energy level of the show echoes the drug induced states of the characters, and the unsavoury events are recounted in a manner which is amusing, shocking and often nauseating.

Mother Superior (Calum Barbour), Laura (Rachael Anderson) and Alison (Erin Marshall) reiterate the sinister yet vulnerable nature of these controversial individuals. The proximity with the characters, the set and the props pushes the boundaries of interactive theatre well beyond expectations. The shock and awe strategy is unrelenting and delivered with precision and daring, and this makes the show highly unsuitable for the faint-hearted.

Patricia Di Risio