TRANSPOTTING : Just say 'NO' to drugs, 'NOT' to theatre.

Trainspotting is based on the book of the same title by Irvine Welsh, the play is by Harry Gibson, the production is directed by Joel Burford and it is presented at Players Theatre 8pm November 18-21, and 25-28. With: Grace Glowicki, Martin Law, David Moote, and Daniel Sorger. Tickets are just 8$-$6. www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/players 514 398-6813.

This play is a perfect selection for the Players' season and the students should show up and support it. It isn't a 'feel good' play by any stretch as it deals with the dark world of drugs in the recesses of Edinburgh's low-life society. For those that have seen and are fans of the Danny Boyle (1996) film will not be disappointed with the play. It is gritty, foul, and obscene. It is not only about addiction but also about the struggle of friendship, and the choices between life and complete self-destruction. "I choose not to choose life: I choose something else." ... "We live waiting for death knowing that we will never get the answers to the really big questions."

The biggest danger with holding a media presentation days before a production is about to open is that more often than not the production just isn't ready. Such is the case with this production of Trainspotting, but with some hard work and last minute adjustments there is hope that this play will attain it's desired level of production quality.

The lighting is the biggest issue, with some levels too dark to see the actors, or with missed queues, lighting the wrong areas of the stage and not lighting the right ones. No preset as the audience enters into the space which is a missed opportunity to create a mood and is just plain too dangerous when the audience enters in the dark. But this can be easily, and hopefully will be, adjusted by showtime.

The set is okay, a bit over kill on some of the debris, we get it without so much distracting clutter, sometimes less is more. It is obvious that more stage hands will be needed to properly 'carry off and on' copious set items; -depending on the cast to do this only works if it is part of the action of the scene, otherwise it delays the pacing and becomes very distracting to the audience. Again, hopefully by showtime, this can and will be corrected with more back stage volunteers.

The sound track and effects were well done, and they add to the mood and the tension of the play. Costumes were also well selected. Makeup design could be used more to advantage the actors, it would help in 'making' them appear more like the 'users' that they are portraying. The special effects are essential to the story telling of this play and they are expected to be delivered, and they are in abunence. This is one area where those who are familiar with the film version will not be disappointed. It is not easy to produce special effects on stage, especially when working with small budgets and limited resources. We get a 'mouth full' and and 'eye full' in this production. There is always room for more elaborate effects but the basic minimum are delivered here. Warning: If you eat before, do so at least two hours prior to seeing the play.

And on that note, it is a long play, running time of approximate two and half hours including intermission. At least 20 minutes could easily be cut back here. This is where the biggest flaw is in the production and is in dire need of immediate improvement before opening night. The pacing is way too slow, the transitions are far too many, and they need to be cut back. Those that are absolutely necessary have to have shorter delays between scenes. Some scenes, particularly the 'drug administering' ones, have to be condensed, we get it after the first round, we don't need to have this action stretched out each and every time it is blocked into a scene.

The choice to stick with Sean Connery's difficult Scottish brogue was well conceived. It is one of the most difficult accents in English to the ear to capture the text but the cast are more often than not very consistent with their vocal prowess. This choice however also slows down the delivery and therefore makes it all the more important to pick up the pacing where and when ever possible.

The casting of the ensemble of four in the production is excellent for the better part. I have to single out Grace Glowicki (Alyson) who delivers a very convincing performance, and David Moote (Franco) who has an innate natural talent giving a performance that is comparable to the talent of that of the one of film's stars, Robert Carlyle. Martin Law (Mark) has very big shoes to fill and a lot of demanding text to deliver, and hopefully he will fill the bill once he has an audience to react to his work and a few performances under his belt. GO C IT!