Choose life. Choose a stalls seat. The first rehearsal photos have been released for Trainspotting The Musical, and they are our first proper look at one of the most audacious world premieres the West End has attempted in years: Irvine Welsh's era-defining story of Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud, reborn as a full-scale musical written by Welsh himself. The production opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on Wednesday 15 July 2026, and the images below, all taken in the rehearsal room by photographer Hugo Glendinning, show a company in full flight several weeks out from opening night. tickadoo is built by the founders of London Theatre Direct, and we will be watching this one closely; here is everything the photos tell us, plus the full cast, the creative team and what to book in the meantime.
At a glance
- The show: Trainspotting The Musical, a world premiere written by Irvine Welsh, based on his own novel.
- The music: music and lyrics by Welsh and Stephen McGuinness, mixing tracks associated with the 1996 film with new material for the stage.
- Where and when: opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London on Wednesday 15 July 2026, with a tour to follow.
- The story: picks up the characters three decades after the events made famous by the film.
- Director: Caroline Jay Ranger, who also developed the piece, presented by Phil McIntyre Live.
- Tickets: Trainspotting The Musical tickets from £15.63 (live price verified 12 June 2026).
What the rehearsal photos show
Rehearsal photography is its own genre of theatre storytelling, and Hugo Glendinning's set is a confident one. There are no costumes or sets to hide behind at this stage, just a rehearsal room floor, a forest of scaffolding and a company throwing themselves at the material, and that rawness suits this story better than most. The group shots radiate the gang energy the piece lives or dies on, all sprawled chairs and outstretched arms, while the character studies catch the figures fans will recognise instantly: a peroxide-blond Sick Boy mid-scheme, Begbie at full roar, Spud sharing an unexpectedly tender moment.
Frankie O'Connor (Franco Begbie) in rehearsal. Photo: Hugo Glendinning
That last point is worth dwelling on. The reason Trainspotting endures is not the shock value, it is that underneath the chaos it is a story about friendship, loyalty and the cost of escape, and the warmth visible in these rehearsal images suggests the musical knows it.
A world premiere written by Irvine Welsh himself
Stage versions of Trainspotting have existed almost as long as the novel, but this is something different: a musical with a book by Irvine Welsh, adapting his own 1993 novel, with music and lyrics written by Welsh alongside Stephen McGuinness. The score promises tracks associated with the film, the soundtrack that defined a generation, woven together with new songs written for the stage. It is directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger and presented by Phil McIntyre Live.
Rather than restaging the film beat for beat, the musical finds the characters three decades on from the story that made them famous. The 1996 film, which starred Ewan McGregor, was the highest-grossing British film of its year, won the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay and sits on the British Film Institute's list of the greatest British films of the twentieth century. Catching up with Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy and Kelly a generation later is a genuinely intriguing premise, and it means newcomers and lifelong fans start the evening on the same footing.
Sheridan Townsley (Sick Boy) in rehearsal. Photo: Hugo Glendinning
The full cast
The company is led by Robbie Scott, making his West End debut as Renton, at the head of a largely Scottish company. He is joined by Sheridan Townsley as Sick Boy, Kieran Andrew as Spud, Frankie O'Connor as Begbie, Finlay Paul as Tommy, Rebecca McKinnis as Cathy Renton, Gordon Cooper as Davie Renton, Ashley J Russell as Colleen, Rosie Dignan as Alison, Yana Harris as Kelly and Sophie Hutchinson as Lizzie.
The ensemble comprises Ally Kennard, Kieran Brown, Melanie Marshall, Lewis Kidd, Samuel Stewart, Finlay McKillop, Ciara Ennis, Victoria Nicol, Kyra Fyvie and Chris O'Mara. One credit in the rehearsal photography hints at how boldly the piece is staged: Melanie Marshall is pictured as The Call of Heroin, a personified presence that suggests the musical will give the story's darkest force a literal voice on stage.
Kieran Andrew (Spud) and Rebecca McKinnis (Cathy Renton) in rehearsal. Photo: Hugo Glendinning
The creative team
Around Ranger sits a heavyweight creative bench: set and costume design by Colin Richmond, musical supervision, orchestration and musical direction by Stuart Morley, video design by Douglas O'Connell, choreography by Christina Andrea, lighting by Ian Scott and sound by Rory Madden for Sonalyst, with Denise Ranger as associate director and casting by Anne Vosser. For a story so bound up with music, the Morley and O'Connell appointments are the ones to watch; expect the show to lean hard on sound and screen.
Dates, venue and tickets
Trainspotting The Musical opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, one of the West End's grandest old houses, on Wednesday 15 July 2026, an irresistible collision of Regency architecture and Leith grit. A tour following the London season has also been announced. Tickets for the premiere run are on sale now through tickadoo from £15.63, verified on 12 June 2026, and for a world premiere with this much built-in audience, the early weeks around opening night are the dates to move on first. Members of tickadoo+ save across West End bookings too.
More bold musicals you can book tonight
If Trainspotting's mix of music, menace and heart is your kind of night out, London already has more of it on stage. These are on sale now through tickadoo, with live prices verified on 12 June 2026.
- Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, from £42.69. The West End's reigning masterclass in darkness staged as entertainment, in an auditorium transformed beyond recognition.
- Hadestown, from £31.25. A folk-and-jazz fuelled descent into the underworld with the best band in town. Music-first theatre at its most seductive.
- Stranger Things: The First Shadow, from £37.50. The screen-to-stage event of recent years, now in its final months before closing in December.
Frequently asked questions
When does Trainspotting The Musical open in London?
It opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London's West End on Wednesday 15 July 2026, in its world premiere production, with a tour announced to follow.
Is Trainspotting The Musical based on the book or the film?
Both feed into it. The book is by Irvine Welsh, adapting his own 1993 novel, while the score features tracks associated with the 1996 film alongside new songs by Welsh and Stephen McGuinness. The story itself moves on, finding the characters three decades after the events the film made famous.
Who is in the cast of Trainspotting The Musical?
Robbie Scott makes his West End debut as Renton, with Sheridan Townsley as Sick Boy, Kieran Andrew as Spud, Frankie O'Connor as Begbie, Finlay Paul as Tommy, Rebecca McKinnis as Cathy Renton, Yana Harris as Kelly and Sophie Hutchinson as Lizzie, among a largely Scottish company.
Who wrote Trainspotting The Musical?
Irvine Welsh wrote the book, adapting his own novel, with music and lyrics by Welsh and Stephen McGuinness. Caroline Jay Ranger directs and developed the production, which is presented by Phil McIntyre Live.
Are tickets for Trainspotting The Musical on sale through tickadoo?
Yes. Trainspotting The Musical tickets are on sale through tickadoo from £15.63, verified on 12 June 2026. Prices vary by date and seat, and booking ahead of the premiere weeks gives the widest choice of both.
Where do the rehearsal photos come from?
The rehearsal photography was released by the production and taken by Hugo Glendinning, one of British theatre's foremost rehearsal and production photographers. All images in this article are credited to him.
Make a night of it
However you fill the wait until July, do it properly. Our guide to the perfect West End night out in 2026 covers where to eat and when to arrive, our West End this week roundup tracks every opening and closing, and you can browse and book hundreds of London shows on the tickadoo London hub.
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