Scotland

Trainspotting Live – Pleasance EICC

Stark, uncompromising, and more than a little filthy, Trainspotting Live at the EICC is an experience that assaults all the senses. If you thought Irvine Welsh’s story was dark on the page, or confronting on screen, this immersive production makes it visceral, unavoidable, and at times literally in your face.

The staging is deceptively simple, two sets of bleachers flank a narrow walkway, with a bed at one end and a heap of sheets at the other. Centre stage, on one side, sits the infamously disgusting “worst toilet in Scotland,” which becomes as much a character as any of the cast. A word of advice, choose your seat carefully. The back row is safer, the second-back row ideal, but anyone who braves the front may find themselves in the splash zone. But in reality, nowhere is safe!

From the moment the cast come barrelling down the aisle to pounding beats, the atmosphere is feral. Begbie, bare-chested, tattoos glistening, immediately dominates the space. We are thrust into the famous ‘Choose Life’ monologue, but this isn’t delivered from a safe distance. Here it’s barked into the faces of the audience, sweat and spit carried across the divide, the audience watching each other recoil as much as they watch the actors. That’s no coincidence. One side of the audience is positioned to observe the other, your fear and your shock are part of the spectacle.

And shocked they are. Last night, tourists opposite me looked visibly rattled, wide-eyed, shifting uncomfortably as the torrent of swearing, nudity, and violence escalated. Some left. One particularly brutal sequence sees Begbie kick his pregnant partner in the stomach and drag her offstage with a belt, leaving more than a few jaws dropped. The famous toilet scene, meanwhile, is staged with gleeful abandon, daring us to look away even as we can’t.

Audience participation is constant, sometimes playful, sometimes threatening. You might be pulled into a dance, shouted at, or find yourself an unwilling witness to a fight inches from your face. It is chaos, carefully orchestrated chaos, and it captures the sheer anarchic energy of Welsh’s world.

Yet beneath the filth, the swearing, the vomit, and the violence, there’s a deadly serious message. This is a story about addiction, about the wreckage drugs leave in their wake, and about a culture where escape often looks more appealing than survival. The company doesn’t dilute this. They don’t pull punches. Instead, they push it in your face until you can’t look away.

The performances are uniformly strong, with Andrew Barrett’s Renton compelling and raw, and Olivier Sublet’s Begbie terrifyingly unpredictable. Greg Esplin as Tommy brings a bruising vulnerability to the later stages of the story, while Lauren Downie gives depth and dignity to Allison.

Is it enjoyable? Not in the conventional sense. This is not an easy watch. It’s a hard, bruising, foul-mouthed 75 minutes. But it’s also a show that has audiences leaving shaken, stirred, and, whether they like it or not, moved. For those who don’t know the story, the impact may be even greater.

A show that is as unforgettable as it is uncomfortable. Possibly even a lifesaver for those tempted by the thrill to ‘try it just once’? Not for everyone, but unmissable and vital all the same.

Varies Daily (except 18th) check Venue Till 24th August

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/2025TRAINSP

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 17th August 2025

North West End UK Rating: