Irvine Welsh’s cult 90s novel is being brought to life in a punchy, adrenaline-fuelled production at the Kings Head Theatre theatre pub in Islington.
Paul Drinkwater | 15 February 2016
The play kicks off with an immersive rave lit by glowsticks and we are promised a no-holds-barred performance that shocked Welsh himself.
The production had sold out runs and critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and The King’s Head in 2015, and it’s not hard to see why: in a vivid 75 minutes, it boldly involves viewers in the intensity of the rave and drug culture of the late 80s, not holding back from both the highs and the lows. But graphic scenes that convey violence, sex and the bleak reality of heroin addiction – including the notorious toilet scene – are all the more gripping for being told in Welsh’s vivid, funny and poetic language by a hugely daring and energetic Scottish cast of seven.
Irvine Welsh has been a strong supporter of the production, going so far as to say: “I was shocked, and I wrote the f*cking thing!”. He also said: “The verve and freshness that they brought to the project blindsided me. They really made it their own, of their time and their era, while drawing on the universality of the characters I created and the themes I explored”.
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