Trainspotting The Musical cancels tour

The world premiere production of Trainspotting The Musical will not embark on a tour after its London run at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The show is presented by Phil McIntyre Live and is written by Irvine Welsh, based on his novel. It is directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, with music and lyrics by Welsh and Stephen McGuinness. The score includes tracks associated with the original film alongside new material written for the stage.

The musical follows the beloved characters of Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy and Kelly, following their story three decades after the release of the 1996 film adaptation, which starred Ewan McGregor and became the highest-grossing UK film of that year. The film went on to receive a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay and was later ranked in the British Film Institute list of the 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.

Tour stop pages have been removed from scheduled venues, with the tour details also removed from the official website. Ticket holders have been contacted by their point of purchase. Multiple cast members set to appear in the tour have also confirmed on social media that they are no longer contracted for the tour window.

Performer and resident director Keiran Brown shared on Facebook: “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..!”

The show said in a statement today: “The forthcoming UK tour of Trainspotting The Musical, which was due to begin on 19 October, has been cancelled.

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. We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this may cause.”

The West End run continues until 5 September.