Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud, Tommy, and Kelly, the industrial drug-crazed working-class heroes, are back.
In 1996, CHOOSE LIFE sounded like a challenge. Thirty years on, the landscape has shifted, but the hunger hasn’t. Addiction hasn’t disappeared - it’s shifted. It’s quieter now, more embedded. Less needle, more screen. Less escape, more repetition. The same restless search for something to fill the space.
The musical highlights the world we see changing around us, the obscene concentration of wealth, economic and political power in the hands of so few people. It addresses the modern culture of powerlessness. Art the singing-and-dancing Trojan horse that delivers direction and relevance.
This isn’t nostalgia, it’s closer than that. The past isn’t revisited - it lingers. The musical doesn’t tidy it. It sits with it. Listens to it. And lets it sing. New songs, classic songs, a musical like never before. Not for the easily confronted. It’s funny, loud, dynamic, and brings a dark dangerous energy never experienced before on the West End stage.
“I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film. People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also really need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off - it’s what being human is all about.” Irvine Welsh, April 2026
There are no clean answers here. Only incredible music and flashes of clarity, humour, and the uneasy sense of recognition.
CHOOSE LIFE.
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The Alexandra, Birmingham
Birmingham’s beloved theatre, The Alexandra, was built in 1901 by William Coutts and throughout its vast history, has become home to first class entertainment. In 2018, the venue underwent an extensive refurbishment and reverted to its original name, The Alexandra. The theatre is a valuable contributor to culture within Birmingham and the West Midlands, presenting first-rate musicals, drama, comedy and more.
Notable performances at The Alexandra Theatre include Chicago, Fame and An Inspector Calls, with new shows added regularly. It’s seen many famous faces throughout the years and continues to bring star-studded shows to Birmingham straight from London’s West End. Browse The Alexandra’s show listings now.