TRAINSPOTTING - Subiaco Arts Centre - 2 more shows

Firstly, I am British, so will probably have a very different opinion to others when it comes to this production, and may be a little harsher one. Accents - As other reviewers have mentioned, yes there were slip-ups with the accent. Every actor knows that a scottish accent, particularly an Edinburgh one, is very, very difficult, and very unique. It becomes stronger when the voice level raises, and can be quite intimidating. Having to do this can be hard enough as it is, let alone when needed for a play such as Trainspotting. In order to make it really work, each actor has to be on the same level. I found Dan Kershaw was a lot stronger than the other 3 cast members, and understood how important it was to show how very distinctive this accent is. The attempts made by the cast was a good and brave one, but still needed a little more work. Cast - I was torn right down the middle when it came to the cast members. Dan Kershaw and Krysia Wiechecki I really liked. Clinton Ward-Horner and Murray Jackson not as much as I could have done. Dan Kershaw was very good when narrating throughout the performance, and suited the role of Mark. The opening 'bedsheets' scene was hilarious, and his detox scene also very well performed. Krysia Wiechecki, as she was in her previous production, is fantastic when her character's require tears and breakdowns. She is completely in her 'zone', and is exciting to watch in these scenes, as disturbing as that sounds! ;) Clinton Ward-Horner on the other hand I felt didn't let go as much as he could have done with his character which is a shame because Sickboy is such a great character, and my personal favourite. Murray Jackson had a lot of potential, but when he was playing his main character, I felt that he was too choreographed when he lost his temper, and I wanted him to be a lot more wreckless. He is playing a heroin addict after all! The crazy eyes were there, and the tone, just not the final delivery. Both Clinton and Murray had the goods, but for me personally, I didn't feel it on the night. Hats off to Clinton however for taking a real punch. There is nothing worse than fake strikes in serious scenes. Script / Direction - I have to admit that I do not know the stage version, and was aware that there were some cuts made. Being British, I love and know the movie well. For me, I would have liked to have seen some more 'smaller' scenes between the key scenes. The reason for this is because it allows the needed build-up's to each big scene, and gives us, the audience, the chance to get to know the characters more. It would also allow us to have an even clearer understanding of the seriousness of these gripping scenes, and the effects of heroin on the characters lives. I found myself saying "Ahhh they're just a bunch of junkies", whereas if it was slower paced, I would have had more time to care for them to the point that I would be thinking "Oh my god....he's about to take heroin!!" The 'toilet swimming' scene was also cut, which I think could have been kept because it gives us an insight to the darker side of the drug that these 4 characters crave, and shows us just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Heroin is all about impact, and becomes the addicts life so scenes cannot afford to be cut because you don't fully see the whole life of a drug addict which is what Trainspotting is all about. On the other hand, there was some very good work, and the venue was perfect. Small, personal, and cosy. Just what an intense play needs in order to draw the spectators in. Trainspotting is undoubtidly a hard play to stage as there are so many huge hurdles to tackle. Anybody who attends theatre in WA often will tell you, if you want a hard-hitting play that will get your heart racing, you look up director Danni Ashton. Danni fuels on the scripts that push the actors to the max, and leaves the audiences speechless. She has produced some suberb stuff this year, and is no doubt the best person for job when it comes to staging this one. In all honesty however, I feel with her keen eye and talent, she could have made this one better, but I still saw some good stuff throughout the night. Danni's next project is 'The Boys' which is another sensitive script that will either leave you speechless, or talking about for days afterwards. I look forward to it! Christian Dalton "A true actor is more himself, when he is not himself, and lost in a character."