THE HANGOVER REPORT – The stage adaptation of TRAINSPOTTING is an excessive gross-out fest that’s ultimately harrowing stuff

Andrew Barrett in "Transporting Live" at Roy Arias Stages, courtesy of In Your Face Theatre.

Andrew Barrett in “Transporting Live” at Roy Arias Stages, courtesy of In Your Face Theatre.

Last night, the stage adaptation of Transpotting – based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, which was also turned into a cult favorite film by director Danny Boyle in 1996 – opened Off-Broadway at Roy Arias Stages in Midtown. The production comes to town via the aptly-named In Your Face Theatre (be prepared to be accosted and harassed – you’ve been warned), a young theater troupe from Scotland that has been touring the production across continents. The plot is fairly straightforward: a band of young hooligans gets caught up in the dark, brutal world of drug usage; not all of them survive.

The adaptation is a spotty, episodic one. Making matters worse is the rather thick Scottish accents, eliciting some scenes – at least for this viewer – nearly unintelligible. Nevertheless, once the immersive and relentless show gets into full gear (which doesn’t take long at all), I was shocked-and-awed almost completely throughout the intermission-less 75-minute run time. I’m not usually one to squirm in my seat, but the folks at In Your Face have succeeded in spades in getting me to do so, particularly during the play’s harrowing latter half.

It’s arguable that the production goes too far, however. The gross-out factor here is pretty much off the charts, veering towards haunted house gimmickry. Luckily, the production, viscerally directed by Greg Esplin (who also plays Tommy in the production), plays so fast and furiously that you don’t have the chance to reflect on the barrage of excessively crude images and incidents (no spoilers here!). The young ensemble cast, particularly Andrew Barrett’s Renton and Mr. Esplin’s Tommy, is impressively fearless. Indeed, I’m shocked they aren’t covered in bruises.

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TRAINSPOTTING LIVE
Off-Broadway, Theater
In Your Face Theatre at Roy Arias Stages
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through August 25

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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