Image supplied by Black Box Theatre.
(ArtsHub review an entirely different production of Trainspotting currently being staged in Melbourne here).
Before there was a kickass soundtrack there was a film. And before there was a film there was a play. And before there was a play there was a novel. And now there’s another play. The evolution of Trainspotting is as convoluted as the generation it defined. It’s a rare story that is able to inspire such a rich popular culture, but the question now is, how does that story stand the test of time? Eighteen years after the film that brought heroin abuse out of the closet, Black Box Theatre puts it to the test.
Trainspotting is the gritty tale of a group of lads in Edinburgh and their battles with drug abuse, violence, friendship, love, sex, pregnancy, HIV, and death. In a word, this is a story about life. Clearly these themes are still relevant today, and it’s a testament to the original work that the style still resonates more than a decade later. This rendition of the work doesn’t set out to re-invent the wheel – it’s not particularly original and doesn’t offer any new insight, but it does manage to tap into the essence of what made this story beloved by Gen X and despised by everyone else.
This production uses Harry Gibson’s theatrical adaptation first staged in 1994, which wisely collates a series of fragmented character portraits from the novel, rather than trying to pack the entire events of the book into a two-hour play. The result is a less traditional structure than the three act hero’s journey present in the film and in that way more closely resembles the book than the film. What makes it work is the relationships between the characters – tragi-comic, arguably detrimental, and sustained like a drug addiction by simple inertia. And it is here that Black Box have excelled in recreating the essence of Trainspotting. Although performances are generally a little rough around the edges, their group dynamic is what makes this worth seeing. Special mentions to Leigh Scully, who is electric as Begbie and disturbingly maternal in drag as Mrs Renton.
This production utilizes the same technique the original play used of having each performer play multiple roles, which gives the Trainspotting world a surreal kind of intimacy and familiarity. The technique of having non-sexualised female characters like Mrs Renton and Mrs Macintosh played by male performers is a nice touch, reinforcing a lad-ish perspective whereby characters are not classed by gender, but rather by sexuality as shagable or not. The final scene in which Renton begins writing Trainspotting, although not the most original ending to a book adaptation, does bookend the play nicely and makes reference to the original novel format.
The likeable cast makes for a great nostalgic trip for Trainspotting fans, however I would question, in keeping with the edginess of previous incarnations, whether this play warrants a re-write. Much of the darkness has been watered down over time by mainstreaming, so in a modern context it’s not as provocative as its predecessors. The characters have become so iconic that we fail to question the moral ambiguity of their actions. We are not challenged any more. In general, I would say this is a fun and enjoyable stumble down memory lane for fans of the Trainspotting saga, a comment that previous critics would not have dreamed of saying about previous incarnations.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars.
Trainspotting
Produced by Black Box Theatre and Emu Productions
Adapted by Harry Gibson
Directed by Luke Berman
Cast: Damien Carr, Brendon Taylor, Leigh Scully, Taylor Beadle-Williams
King St Theatre, Cn King & Bray Sts, Newtown
www.kingstreettheatre.com.au
8 – 24 May
