Trainspotting, Irvin Welsh’s book (1993) and film (1996) based on the book of the same name, thirty years after the film’s original release, is now getting a theatre musical that will open in London, England at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in July, 2026.
The Scottish author’s 1993 novel, following the lives of a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh, was a best-seller before being adapted into a 1996 movie directed by Danny Boyle. The film, starring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle, became an era-defining release thanks to its energy, eye-catching marketing campaign, and award-winning soundtrack.
Welsh wrote three sequel novels: Porno (2002), Dead Men’s Trousers (2018), and Men in Love, published last year. A prequel, Skagboys, was published in 2012. Elements of Porno were used for the 2017 film sequel, T2: Trainspotting. It has also been adapted for the stage numerous times since the mid-90s.
Now, Welsh himself adapted the novel for the stage as well as writing songs for the production alongside Stephen McGuinness. Tracks from Boyle’s 1996 movie are also intended to be used.
“It wasn’t the most obvious book to be successful,” Welsh told The Guardian. “And it wasn’t the most obvious movie or stage play to be successful. It’s confounded expectations – especially my own.”
He does, however, feel it will offer something different. “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” he said. “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.”
