In Your Face Theatre's TRAINSPOTTING Comes to the King's Head Before National Tour

In Your Face Theatre and the King's Head are giving London another chance to see their punchy, adrenaline-fuelled production of Irvine Welsh's cult classic TRAINSPOTTING, prior to a national tour. Kicking off with an immersive rave lit by glowsticks, audiences are given a no-holds-barred, close-up view of the lives of Renton, Begbie and Sickboy in a production that redefines this classic story of hedonism and drug culture for a 21st-century audience.

The show, adapted by Harry Gibson and directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Greg Esplin, runs at the King's Head Theatre, Islington, 2nd -27th February 2016 with press night on 4th February at 7 p.m. The national tour will include stops at MAC in Birmingham and Bristol's Tobacco Factory.

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 7.

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."

IF YOU GO:

In Your Face Theatre and The King's Head present

TRAINSPOTTING by Irvine Welsh

Adapted by Harry Gibson
Directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Greg Esplin
Designed by Clancy Flynn (lighting)

Cast: Chris Dennis, Calum Douglas Barbour, Greg Esplin, Jessica Innes, Erin Marshall, Gavin Ross and Rory Speed.

King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper street, N1 1QN

Tuesday 2nd - Sat 27th February
Tuesday-Friday at 7pm and 8.30pm, Saturdays at 5pm, 7pm and 8.30pm; Sundays at 7pm.
Press night: Thursday 4th Feb, 7pm

Running time: 75 minutes

Tickets: £15-£19.50. Previews: £10-£14
Box office: 020 7193 7845. www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Suitable for 16+ only.

National Tour:

MAC, Birmingham (23rd March - 2nd April). 0121 446 3232. www.macbirminghamco.uk

Tobacco Factory, Bristol (6th-17th April). 0117 902 0344. www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Further venues TBC.

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