Trainspotting Transforms Into a Musical
Irvine Welsh’s 1993 debut novel Trainspotting has already been adapted into a play and a film, and has inspired three sequels, a prequel, and two soundtrack albums. Now, the story is set to be reimagined as a stage musical.
The production will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London this July. Welsh is adapting the musical himself, contributing an original set of songs alongside selections from Danny Boyle’s acclaimed film soundtrack.
“It wasn’t the most obvious book to be successful,” said Welsh. “And it wasn’t the most obvious movie or stage play to be successful. It’s confounded expectations – especially my own.”
The narrative, which follows four friends involved in scamming tourists, signing on for benefits, and using heroin during Edinburgh’s needle-sharing crisis, might seem an unlikely choice for a musical. However, Welsh points to the serious themes explored in musicals like West Side Story, Oliver!, and Rent as precedent for tackling such material on stage.
He hoped this musical would avoid the pitfalls of other adaptations: “There are so many shows in the West End that are either stage plays with music perfunctorily thrown in or nostalgia pieces with unrelated music from the times. The only way I could see a Trainspotting musical work is if we could write our own songs that moved it along as a proper piece of musical theatre.”
Welsh’s collaboration with Stephen McGuinness made this possible. The duo previously worked on a soul- and disco-infused album inspired by Welsh’s 2025 novel Dead Men's Trousers, and they plan to explore a similar range of genres in Trainspotting the Musical. Together, they will compose the music and lyrics.
The musical will also include selected songs from the film’s soundtrack, although rights are still being negotiated. Welsh acknowledged that it would feel odd if the production did not feature Iggy Pop’s iconic track Lust for Life.
Welsh admitted he is not a big fan of musicals generally but has fond memories of some.
“When I was a kid, I went to see Oliver! eight times on holiday in Blackpool with my mum and dad. They were delighted that I was mesmerised by it. My favourite musical is White Christmas – I’ve watched it every Christmas Day for the past 50 years and cried every time.”
New Characters and Contextual Material
The musical will introduce a couple of new characters and incorporate contextual material from Welsh’s 2012 prequel, Skagboys. Reflecting on the passage of time since the original novel, Welsh said:
“So much time has passed, I feel I can look at the material more dispassionately.”
Making his West End debut, 26-year-old Robbie Scott has been cast as Renton. This role was first played on stage by Ewen Bremner in 1994 and on screen by Ewan McGregor in 1996. Scott’s previous experience includes a run of shows at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where he starred in Sunshine on Leith.
Casting announcements for other key characters including Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy, and Kelly will be made soon.
Direction and Production
The show’s director, Caroline Jay Ranger, has an extensive background working with notable performers such as Steve Coogan, Tim Minchin, Harry Enfield, and John Cleese. Her production of Calendar Girls was the longest-running show at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, a testament to her capability in leading this new musical, which promises to balance humor with its brutal themes.
“She’s got the whole package,” said Welsh. “She understands the drama of it, she’s an ex-dancer so she understands the movement and, above all, she gets the humour. If you’re going to give people dark material, you have to have them laugh their tits off as well.”
The original 1994 stage adaptation by director Harry Gibson was notable for its raw and fierce language, much of which was taken directly from Welsh’s novel. The blend of humor and harshness made it well-suited for performance. Later adaptations, including an immersive production, have confirmed the story’s strong theatrical potential.
Welsh said the same was true today: “It’s got real sass and vigour in the way the actors spark off against each other. I’m really looking forward to an audience seeing it.”
The musical is scheduled to have its first performance on 15 July.
