Trainspotting: The Musical has cancelled its upcoming UK tour following poor reviews and low ticket sales after its London run ends at Theatre Royal Haymarket in September. The stage show based on Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel and the hit film will not embark on its planned five-month tour.
The tour was due to visit Edinburgh, Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, and a string of other cities from October 19 until March 2027. Show producers announced the decision in an official statement released on Monday.
"The forthcoming UK tour of Trainspotting The Musical, which was due to begin on 19 October, has been cancelled," the show stated. "We are very grateful to our cast, crew and creative team for their dedication to the production, but the current economic climate has resulted in lower than expected ticket sales."
"Ticketholders will be contacted by their point of purchase with full refund details," the statement added. "We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this may cause."
Tour cancellation details and reviews
The decision follows negative critical reviews for the production. The Daily Mail's Patrick Marmion gave the stage show two out of five stars in his review last month.
"Anyone hoping to relive the hedonistic glory days of Cool Britannia may want to approach this strangely awkward resuscitation of Irvine Welsh's cult novel with caution," Marmion wrote. "Danny Boyle's hallucinogenic film version, starring Ewan McGregor, was a shocking but brilliant poke in the eye back in 1996. But it has since dwindled into anxious, middle-aged moralising."
Cast members broke the news on social media prior to the official statement. According to Edinburgh Live, cast member Kieran Brown posted on Facebook on Sunday that the cast were told about the decision on Friday.
"The UK tour has sadly been cancelled - just not selling unfortunately for us. If Edinburgh of all places is stuck on 19 per cent sales - you know you're f***ed..!" Brown wrote. "Nothing to do with some of our reviews (I'm gloatingly pleased to say!). 100+ people (who'd poured their heart and soul into something that our audiences in London seem to love) suddenly find themselves unemployed from 6th September. This business is brutal - but it's business at end of day."
Brown added in further comments on his Facebook page that the cancellation was "a real shame," adding that the show is "f**king great" but "just not selling well outside of London which is a REAL shame."
Irvine Welsh on production costs
Author Irvine Welsh addressed the cancellation rumors on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday morning. Welsh explained that the production team had been examining the numbers as financial pressures mounted.
"We are in difficult times and we've been looking at the numbers and sums," Welsh said. "We knew it would be difficult to take a production of that scale on the road. We've got 30 cast members. Basically people just don't have the money."
"We're not sure yet but we know we'll be in the West End right through to September," Welsh added. "What will happen after that, it's an uncertain future. It's not a great time to be putting a new show on the road."
Speaking about the negative reviews, Welsh remarked: "Critics have already been horrible to me. If I get a good review for something I feel very violated. I think to myself, this shouldn't be happening." He stated that he is "not the kind of writer that is loved by the critics" and considers himself a "polarising force."
Film legacy and musical adaptation
The 1996 film adaptation made stars of Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald, alongside co-stars Johnny Lee Miller and Kevin McKidd, under director Danny Boyle. The black drama comedy follows a group of heroin addicts living in a run-down part of Edinburgh as it explores urban poverty and drug addiction in the Scottish capital.
The stage musical reunited cult characters Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy, and Kelly, starring Lewis Kidd as Renton and Sheridan Townsley as Sick Boy. Made in just 35 days, the original film became an unexpected box office success and won the Bafta for Best Adapted Screenplay. The West End run of Trainspotting: The Musical continues at Theatre Royal Haymarket until September 5.
