Trainspotting (musical)

Trainspotting
The Musical
Poster for the West End production
Music
Lyrics
BookIrvine Welsh
Basis
Trainspotting
by Irvine Welsh
Premiere22 July 2026: Theatre Royal Haymarket
Productions2026 West End

Trainspotting The Musical is a stage musical written by Irvine Welsh with music and lyrics by Stephen McGuinness and Welsh and developed and directed by Caroline Jay Ranger. Based on Welsh's novel of the same name and its film adaptation.

Production history

West End (2026)

The musical had its world premiere at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End beginning previews on 15 July 2026 and an opening night of 22 July 2026, running until 5 September.[1] Caroline Jay Ranger directed and it starred Lewis Kidd as Renton.[2][3][4] Full casting was announced on 11 May 2026.[5]

Following the West End run, the musical was planned to tour the UK, however on 3 August 2026 it was announced that the tour had been cancelled due to the negative reviews and low ticket sales.[6]

Cast and characters

Character West End
2026
Renton Lewis Kidd
Sick Boy Sheridan Townsley
Spud Kieran Andrew
Begbie Frankie O’Connor
Tommy Finlay Paul
Cathy Renton Rebecca McKinnis
Davie Renton Gordon Cooper
Colleen Ashley J Russell
Alison Rosie Dignan
Kelly Yana Harris
Lizzie Sophie Hutchinson

Critical reception

The production received strongly negative reviews, being almost universally panned by critics, with The Spectator remarking that it had been "mocked [by] plenty of critics".[7][8] The score was described as "diluted" by The Telegraph, "pointless" by The Stage, and "instantly forgettable" by The New York Times;[9][10][11] the script was called "disconnected" by The Guardian and "coruscatingly fragmentary" by The Standard;[12][13] and the visual design was criticised as "boxy" by London Theatre and "ill-conceived" by WhatsOnStage.com.[14][15] However, the performance of the cast was noted as a highlight by The Financial Times and The Independent, both of whom otherwise gave negative reviews.[16][17] The extension of the Trainspotting franchise was criticised by The Guardian as "mutant", with Metro also stating that "just because a story can keep mutating doesn't mean it should".[18]

References

  1. ↑ "The cast of Trainspotting The Musical choose to be 'gallus' on West End opening night". WhatsOnStage. 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  2. ↑ "Trainspotting The Musical to have West End premiere – with lead casting revealed". WhatsOnStage. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  3. ↑ "Nineties cult film to become the 'ultimate anti-musical' this summer". The Independent. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  4. ↑ Fisher, Mark (2026-03-24). "'It's got real sass!' Irvine Welsh chooses new life for Trainspotting as a stage musical". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  5. ↑ "Trainspotting The Musical reveals full West End cast". 2026-05-11. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  6. ↑ "Trainspotting The Musical to embark on tour". 2026-05-11. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  7. ↑ Al-Hassan, Aliya (2026-07-23). "Review Roundup: Did TRAINSPOTTING THE MUSICAL Evoke A Lust For Life?". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Average Rating: 34.0% 👎
  8. ↑ Evans, Lloyd (2026-07-29). "The Trainspotting musical is made for cruise ships". The Spectator. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  9. ↑ Lawrence, Ben (2026-07-22). "Trainspotting with jazz hands and hoedowns? This musical is a muddle". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  10. ↑ "Trainspotting the Musical review at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London". The Stage. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  11. ↑ Barekat, Houman (2026-07-23). "'Trainspotting: The Musical': When the Lust for Life Is Gone". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  12. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (2026-07-22). "Trainspotting the Musical review – forgettable songs make this a bad trip". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  13. ↑ Curtis, Nick (2026-07-23). "Trainspotting The Musical: Woefully misconceived". The Standard. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  14. ↑ Bosanquet, Theo (2026-07-22). "'Trainspotting the Musical' review — Irvine Welsh brings his iconic 90s work to the stage". London Theatre. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  15. ↑ "Trainspotting The Musical review – signal failure". WhatsOnStage. 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  16. ↑ Hemming, Sarah (23 July 2026). "Trainspotting the Musical review — choose something, anything, but this". FT.
  17. ↑ "Depressing, misjudged Trainspotting the Musical is like a stodgy museum piece". The Independent. 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  18. ↑ "Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose anything other than the Trainspotting musical". Metro. 2026-07-24. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
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