The plot of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, based on Mark
Haddon’s novel of the same name, is indeed a curious little incident. When Christopher Boone discovers his
neighbour’s dog is dead he decides to uncover the culprit and write a book on
his findings, which takes him on an adventure where the truth about his family
is revealed.
Haddon utilizes a unique narrative style to
tell his story. Christopher suffers from
autism and, written from his point of view, the novel gives us an insight into
his way of thinking – logical and mathematical.
The success of this production similarly rests on its narrative
presentation: at once childlike yet containing adult themes, this is a simple
and lucid family drama dressed in a complex, modern multimedia setting. At its core, The Curious Incident… juxtaposes the order and structure of
Christopher’s extraordinary mind with the chaos of human emotion.
Structure comes from the story’s narration
directly from Christopher’s book, later breaking the fourth wall as it’s literally
re-worked as the play we’re watching. It
does provide some comedy, enhancing the already light-hearted script, but its
sudden inclusion in the second half feels a little tacked on.
Cleverly, the geometric set design from
Bunny Christie plays on mathematics as we see Christopher’s mind come to life:
abstract and minimal, the graph paper surfaces conceal hidden compartments and diagrams
are drawn on the floor with chalk. Paule
Constable’s neon, glowing lighting is stunning, with LEDs lighting up the floor
to delineate space, cosmic sparkles reflecting the Milky Way and words and
numbers cascading over the set. Choreographed movement is also employed to skillfully
tell story sections in slow-motion, even walking on walls. The drama is accompanied by an ambient,
electronic soundtrack from Adrian Sutton, comprising computer bleeps, bloops and glitches that's at once
technological and emotive. The overall result is a spectacular, visual and
sonic delight.
The comedic and moving performances bring life to the
plot, in friction with the hard geometry of the set. The monologues from Christopher’s unstable
parents (Paul Ritter and Nicola Walker) are particularly heart-breaking as they
learn to deal with their autistic son.
At the centre is Christopher himself in a sympathetic portrayal from
Luke Treadaway. Endearing, tender and
utterly credible, his behavioural quirks have qualities we can all empathise with. Judging by audience reactions though,
Treadaway is almost overshadowed by Sandy the puppy – a sentimental moment that
the play, as a whole, mostly eschews.
And make sure to stay until after the bows for an extra scene.
The
Curious Incident… is a clever adaptation and an outstanding piece of
theatre. It might use ultra-modern
theatrical techniques but at its core this is a heart-wrenching, human story of
compelling performances. An absolute
must-see.
5/5