Trainspotting Live is coming to Glasgow this autumn - after a return to Edinburgh Fringe

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Fans of the cult 90s film Trainspotting will be able to see the theatre show for the first time in Glasgow this autumn.

What’s happening? Trainspotting Live, the provocative, immersive production based on Irvine Welsh's novel will arrive in Glasgow for the first time as part of a tour of six cities.

When: You can step into the literary world behind the pop culture references and famous quotes from the book and film at Platform under Central Station, the previous site of The Arches theatre and performance space. Tickets for the show, which will run from 29 September to 26 October are on sale now.

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Greg Esplin as Tommy in Trainspotting Live
Pic by: Geraint LewisGreg Esplin as Tommy in Trainspotting Live
Pic by: Geraint Lewis
Greg Esplin as Tommy in Trainspotting Live Pic by: Geraint Lewis

What to expect: Explaining what to expect from the live experience, the team behind the show say: "Trainspotting is the story of Mark Renton and his friends, living through the Edinburgh heroin scene of the 80s.

"Harry Gibson’s original stage adaptation, written before it became the famous blockbuster film, was instantly successful and controversial, and won the Sunday Times Award for Best New Play. In Your Face Theatre’s Scottish cast have created a snappy and vibrant affirmation of the power and humour of the piece.

"This no-holds-barred immersive, in-yer-face theatre production left Irvine Welsh feeling “blown away” – for avid fans this is a must, and if you’ve never read the book or seen the film: this is your ticket to a ride you won’t soon forget."

A return to Edinburgh: Trainspotting Live returns to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer where it had previously enjoyed a sold out run. The new tour is a chance for the production to regain momentum after a pandemic hiatus.

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Co-director Greg Esplin returns to his role of Tommy, Andrew Barrett leads the cast as Renton, Michael Lockerbie stars as Sick Boy and Olivier Sublet will play Mother Superior and Begbie.

The intense 75-minute version of Trainspotting has been describes as brutal, funny, intense, disgusting and offensive.

Book vs film: Greg Esplin explained that the production was an attempt to move closer to the text of the book and shrug off some of the lighter moments from the film.

"We focus on the reality of these characters’ stories and their situations, the truth behind it all as opposed to the glamorisation. It’s not a happy-go-lucky Trainspotting, it’s definitely darker. And there’s nothing wrong with either way, I don’t think, it was just that we absolutely love the book.

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"There’s things in the book that aren’t in the film like Begbie and June, you get to see some of that relationship, and obviously Tommy’s downfall as well. There’s a lot more behind that and these are just things we wanted to hit on more rather than just putting the movie on" he said when talking about a previous run of the show at the Edinburgh Fringe."

Talking about the new tour he said: ""It’s been too long since we raved, laughed and cried with our audiences and our passion and determination to give you a night to remember is stronger than ever.

“Theatre is alive and kicking again and we can’t wait to share our show with you.”

Ticket info and price: Tickets are priced from £20 and you can buy them online now.

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