Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a ridiculously chaotic night at the theatreโฆ because Trainspotting: The Musical is heading to CARDIFF!
Yes, mun. TRAINSPOTTING. THE MUSICAL. ๐๐ฅ
One of Britainโs most notorious cult stories is getting the musical treatment, bringing the filthy, funny, brutal and unmistakably โ90s world of Trainspotting to the Welsh capital.
And if youโre currently wondering how the hell somebody looked at Trainspotting and thoughtโฆ
โYou know what this needs? A musical.โ
Youโre not alone.
But weโre absolutely here for it. ๐ค
๐ญ TRAINSPOTTINGโฆ AS A MUSICAL?!
Oh yes.
Forget your traditional musical-theatre image of immaculate costumes, enormous romantic ballads and everyone skipping happily across the stage.
This is Trainspotting.
The story made famous by Irvine Welshโs novel and Danny Boyleโs legendary 1996 film is a considerably grittier beast.
Weโre talking addiction.
Friendship.
Sex.
Violence.
Dark comedy.
Bad decisions.
Very bad decisions.
And potentially the most infamous toilet in British cinema history.
๐ฝ๐คข
Turning all of that into a musical sounds completely bonkers.
Which, frankly, is precisely why weโre interested.
๐ฌ CHOOSE LIFE
For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Trainspotting follows Mark Renton and a group of friends navigating addiction, relationships, crime and life on the fringes of Edinburgh society.
At the centre of everything is Rentonโs struggle with heroin addiction and his repeated attempts to escape the destructive world surrounding him.
But Trainspotting isnโt simply a story about drugs.
Itโs about friendship.
Itโs about growing up.
Itโs about trying to escape the people and circumstances dragging you backwards.
Itโs about Britain in the 1990s.
And underneath all the violence, filth and pitch-black humour, thereโs a surprisingly human story about somebody desperately trying to work out whether they actually want to change their life.
๐ธ AND THEN THEREโS THAT SOUNDTRACKโฆ
This is where things get particularly interesting for us at The Riff Report.
Because you simply cannot talk about Trainspotting without talking about music.
The soundtrack to the 1996 film became almost as iconic as the movie itself.
Iggy Pop.
Underworld.
Blur.
Pulp.
Primal Scream.
New Order.
Lou Reed.
Absolute โ90s alternative gold. ๐ฅ
Iggy Popโs Lust for Life became practically inseparable from Trainspotting, while Underworldโs Born Slippy .NUXX remains one of the defining tracks of the entire decade.
You hear those opening notes and youโre immediately transported back to the world of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.
Thatโs how powerful the musical identity of Trainspotting became.
๐ฅ FROM CULT FILM TO CULT PHENOMENON
When Danny Boyleโs Trainspotting arrived in cinemas in 1996, it wasnโt exactly subtle.
It kicked the door down.
Based on Irvine Welshโs 1993 novel, the film starred Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, alongside Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd and Kelly Macdonald.
It was aggressive.
Funny.
Disturbing.
Stylish.
Utterly quotable.
And unlike practically anything else appearing in British cinemas at the time.
Nearly overnight, Trainspotting became part of British pop culture.
๐ BEGBIE ON STAGE?!
There are certain characters you really wouldnโt want charging towards you in a theatre.
Francis Begbie is somewhere near the top of that list.
Robert Carlyleโs performance in the film turned Begbie into one of British cinemaโs most terrifying characters โ a walking pint glass of violence permanently looking for an excuse to kick off.
The prospect of experiencing that tension live on stage adds another dimension entirely.
No screen separating you.
No pause button.
Just Begbie.
In the room.
Lovely.
๐
๐ฝ YES, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE TOILET
Come on.
We couldnโt write about Trainspotting without mentioning it.
The Worst Toilet in Scotland.
Even people who havenโt watched the entire film probably know the scene.
Renton desperately needs to retrieve something heโs lost down an absolutely horrific toilet and what follows becomes one of the strangest, most disgusting and strangely beautiful sequences in British cinema.
So naturally, one question immediately comes to mind when youโre turning Trainspotting into a stage production:
WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH THE TOILET?!
Weโre almost scared to ask.
If youโre sitting in the front row, maybe donโt wear your best clothes.
Just saying. ๐ฝ๐
๐ด TRAINSPOTTING IN CARDIFF
Bringing something as unconventional as Trainspotting: The Musical to Cardiff is exactly the sort of theatre booking we love seeing.
Because theatre doesnโt always have to mean safe family entertainment.
Sometimes it should be weird.
Sometimes it should be uncomfortable.
Sometimes it should make you laugh at something you probably shouldnโt be laughing at.
And sometimes it should leave half the audience walking into the Cardiff night afterwards saying:
โWhat the bloody hell did we just watch?โ
Thatโs theatre too, butt. ๐ฅ
โ ๏ธ PROBABLY NOT ONE FOR THE KIDSโฆ
Letโs make this abundantly clear.
This is Trainspotting.
Anyone familiar with the novel or film will know the territory weโre dealing with.
The story contains extremely adult themes surrounding drug addiction, sex, violence, strong language and disturbing situations.
This isnโt the one where you bring Nan expecting Mamma Mia!.
Unless Nan is absolutely hardcore.
In which case, fair play to Nan. ๐ค๐
Check the productionโs official age guidance and content warnings before booking, particularly if youโre considering taking younger audience members.
๐ต WHY TRAINSPOTTING AND MUSICAL THEATRE MIGHT ACTUALLY WORK
On paper, Trainspotting: The Musical sounds ridiculous.
But think about it for a second.
The original story has always been driven by rhythm.
The film practically moves like a music video at times.
Its soundtrack isnโt background decoration โ itโs part of its identity.
Music represents excitement, escape, chaos, youth and the culture surrounding the characters.
So taking that energy and putting it onto a live stage actually makes a strange amount of sense.
The trick will be retaining the ugliness and honesty that made Trainspotting so powerful in the first place.
Because polish it too much and you lose the point.
Trainspotting should feel dangerous.
It should feel grubby.
It should feel like the whole production might fall apart at any moment.
Thatโs part of the appeal.
๐ญ ONE OF CARDIFFโS WILDEST THEATRE NIGHTS?
Cardiffโs theatre calendar continues to become increasingly varied, and weโre loving seeing productions that stretch far beyond the usual big family musicals.
Trainspotting: The Musical certainly sits at the more rebellious end of the spectrum.
Cult cinema.
โ90s nostalgia.
Alternative music.
Dark humour.
Scottish chaos.
A story that refuses to behave itself.
Sounds like our sort of evening.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
๐จ TRAINSPOTTING: THE MUSICAL โ CARDIFF
๐ญ Trainspotting: The Musical
๐ Cardiff, Wales
๐ฅ Based on Irvine Welshโs cult story
๐ต Music, mayhem and seriously adult themes
โ ๏ธ Check official age guidance and content warnings before booking
If you grew up with Trainspotting, worship the soundtrack or simply fancy seeing something considerably darker than your average night of musical theatre, this could be one to stick firmly on the radar.
Just rememberโฆ
Choose life.
Choose Cardiff.
Choose theatre.
Choose questionable decisions.
Choose hearing Trainspotting: The Musical and immediately thinking:
โThis is either going to be genius or absolute carnage.โ
Either wayโฆ
WE WANT IN. ๐๐ฅ๐ค
๐ธ THE RIFF REPORT
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies.
From festival fields and sweaty rock clubs to West End monsters and completely bonkers musicals, if itโs loud, weird or worth leaving the house forโฆ
Weโll be there, butt. ๐ค๐ด๐ฅ
