Irvine Welsh junkies have recently had a nice, healthy dose of his work to enjoy. From the release of T2 to, now, the return of the world-famous stage show to the Kings Theatre just at the beginning of this week.

 

The play, adapted by Harry Gibson and first performed in 1993, successfully combined elements from the book with creative, fresh ideas that would later influence the film. This was a quick revival of the Citizen’s Theatre production that was on just last year. Sick Boy (Angus Miller), Spud (Gavin Jon Wright), Begbie (Martin McCormick), Dianne (Chloe-Anne Tylor) and Renton (Lorn Macdonald) all gave very convincing presentations, not only as their main characters, but as the rest of the characters in the play. Only these five actors were used in the play showing great showmanship and adaptability as characters were clearly defined, showing a range of acting skills throughout the performance. They were also very convincing when “drugged up” and had obviously a very good understanding of the characters. From the way they stood and walked to the clothes they were wearing. It was a very precise and highly detailed routine that encapsulated the very ideas and characteristics from the original book and transformed it into a theatre piece that is funny and polished.

 

The piece was very diverse in the wide range of genres it covered. The tone could rapidly change from hysterical laughter to lumps in throats and this was down to the level of professionalism of the cast, all the incredibly varied characters they achieved and how they interacted with each other.

 

 Although it was missing that infectious soundtrack featured in the film that would have been nice to hear, the sound and lighting was very cleverly used. With harsh clinical lights and sound that was a racket, the piece successfully involved the audience in the feelings and emotions of the characters on stage. And that infamous “Choose Life” speech that always gives me chills. Directed through a microphone so its message buzzed through the souls of everyone in the theatre.