Trainspotting

‘Trainspotting’, this is a 50-minute adaptation for the stage by Harry Gibson, from the novel by Irvine Welsh. The Blak Yak Theatre is presenting this powerful drama on three evenings at 8pm. It is showing at the Subiaco Studio, Subiaco Arts Centre’s until Saturday 12^th September.

As a bonus, the satirical ‘Unattainable’, written and directed by Jessica Messenger, will be performed before ‘Trainspotting’ on Friday night.

           Set in the Athens of the North, Edinburgh, we join Renton (Daniel Kershaw) who has woken up in the bedroom of his girlfriend, Gail, only to find that he has – amongst other things - shit the bed. In a hilarious piece, he endeavours to get the sheets past the parents who are having their breakfast, in order to get them to the laundry. He fails.

          Renton, for much of the play, directly addresses the audience, giving a running commentary and insight to the effect the drugs have on the users. He admits that he prefers to live in an idyllic, meaningless, heroin-induced stupor, than face life.

          His acquaintances are an eclectic mix. One mate, heroin addict and film buff Sick Boy (Clint Ward – outstanding), tells Renton with uproarious description, about his latest lovemaking escapade. In return, Renton then gives him some good advice on how to fail at a job interview.

         As Sick Boy, Spud and Renton get back on heroin, Allison (Krysia Weichecki) who has just injected, comes back into the room screaming. Her baby has died whilst they were all shooting up.

         Then there is healthy soccer fan, Tommy and the volatile alcoholic, Begbie (Murray Jackson).

          So starts the grim life of these lads from Auld Reekie.

The script is astutely written, and demonstrates that no matter how beautiful the city, there is still the seedy side of life and its outcasts. However, the most important objective of this play is not to simply depict the abhorrent lifestyle, but to give the audience an insight into the souls of these lonely pariahs, along with a strong message that given the circumstances, almost anyone can end up like them.

Here, the award-winning director, Danni Ashton, has chosen her cast extremely well. Her talented actors delve into and conquer, with complete credibility, the pathetic personalities and how the drug culture has taken over their lives. Danni then skilfully guides the audience through the humour and tears, of a life foreign to most of us.

You feel your loyalties and sympathies for these well-observed characters change rapidly - within seconds - as the blunt, raw and honest delivery of the cast was at times tough to bear. I squirmed with Daniel’s depiction of Renton doing ‘cold turkey’

The director, sound (Molly Sheehan), lighting (Lewis Johnson) and set (Lorna Mackie) designers - along with this fabulous cast - were all committed, and hence succeeded in making the audience feel as though they were actually in their dilapidated squat, as you could feel the squalor spread beyond the performance area.

Simple staging with split centres of attention, allowed the audience to focus on one character’s experience as the narrator told the story at the other side of the stage. The scene changes were very slick. The cast had to play several characters each, which they did instantly, creating a totally new personality. The delivery was powerful and the pace unrelenting. Last night blood, sweat and tears (literally) went into the performance.

A minor weakness were the very variable Scottish lilts, having a wife and son born in Edinburgh, perhaps I am being over critical.

Very many congratulations to all concerned. A magnificent, memorable but gruelling night at the theatre.