The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime play review

Editor-in-Chief Chelsie Henshaw and Food & Drink Editor Cara-Louise Scott attend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, highlighting the production’s attention to detail and the clever staging

Perspective 1: Chelsie Henshaw

For those who don’t know, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a heart-warming novel by Mark Haddon told from the perspective of Christopher (Connor Curren), a fifteen year old boy with autism, who, whilst on a mission to find out who killed his neighbour’s dog Wellington, discovers the truth about what really happened to his mother. After reading the novel in 2019, I was very excited to watch the theatre adaptation at the Birmingham Hippodrome due to its unique presentation of autism and refreshing tone. 

To give a bit of background on the production of Haddon’s novel, the original National Theatre production first opened in September 2012, nearly a decade ago. Since then, Curious Incident has toured 108 towns and cities around the world, amassing over 3000 performances viewed by over five million theatre goers. 

Christopher’s conjuring up of Siobhan during periods of anxiety and stress was touching as the audience saw a connection between him and the mother-like figure

The adaptation was partly narrated by Siobhan (Rebecca Root), Christopher’s school teacher, who read excerpts from the book Christopher was writing on his ‘detective work.’ There were also figures sat in the background of most scenes, chipping in everyone so often as the different thoughts in Christopher’s mind and to present Christopher’s anxiety caused by the chaos of certain situations, for example, the bustling of people at the train station. Although this partial, almost third-person narration was quite jarring to begin with (feeling more like a reading of a children’s story), it felt more fluid and natural as the play progressed. Christopher’s conjuring up of Siobhan during periods of anxiety and stress was touching as the audience saw a connection between him and the mother-like figure.

After relaying a mini plot summary of the production to my housemates, I was immediately met with shock and horror at the murder of the dog. However, although the dog’s untimely demise would appear to be the central topic of the play, it was about much more than that. Tom Peters, who played Ed (Christopher’s father) cannot be faulted for his performance of the slightly problematic but caring father. Despite the fact that Ed killed poor Wellington and was slightly misguided at times of his treatment of Christopher, I found myself rooting for him and his rather wholesome relationship with his son. 

Speaking of Christopher, his portrayal must be greatly applauded. Curren was able to effectively convey the struggles that those with autism often face with his bodily movements, facial expressions and changes in his tone – although it must be noted that there are no blanket experiences of autism.

Not only were Christopher’s distressed moods signposted by Curren’ acting, but they were also demonstrated by the rapidly changing lighting and the loud babble of sounds projected throughout the theatre. I must admit that at times these sounds were almost unbearable for myself due to their intensity and harshness, but I think this added to the overall chaos of the scenes. One way in which Christopher copes when things become overwhelming is by listing the different prime numbers which he counted out loud, which the audience could also see whizzing around on the back screen of the stage.

It was also clear to see that even the more minor details of the production had been well thought through

It was also clear to see that even the more minor details of the production had been well thought through. We learn early on that Christopher’s favourite colour is red, and after this minor revelation, the colour begins to pop up more throughout the play. Christopher’s sleeping bag is red, his trainers have red accents with red shoelaces and his rat carrier (for his pet rat Toby) is also red. Christopher also states that he hates the colours brown and yellow. As an English Literature student who is used to overanalysing minor details, I noted that Mr Shears (who played a huge part in the splitting up of Christopher’s parents and who is not always the most understanding of Christopher) dons a yellow tie. I am not sure whether or not this was deliberate, but I thought it was a clever detail that conveyed Christopher’s discomfort around Mr Shears.

The performance was ended by a discussion of one of the maths problems mentioned earlier on in Christopher’s Maths A-Level exam paper. The audience cheered along as Christopher explained the problem and were then rewarded for this interaction with a rainbow of lights and a burst of confetti. Other elements of the show which prompted a loud reaction from the audience were Christopher’s A* Maths result (cheers and clapping) and the bringing onto stage of Christopher’s new puppy Sandy which resulted in lots of ‘aws’. Overall, the performance was an immersive experience, drawing largely on the use of sound and light to illustrate the individual experience of Christopher; Curious Incident offers an evening at the theatre like no other and is definitely one to watch.

Rating: 5/5

Perpective 2: Cara-Louise Scott

Having read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time a few years ago, I was both excited and sceptical about the National Theatre’s adaptation of the novel into a play, questioning how the character of Christopher, played by Connor Curren, would be portrayed. However, I left the Birmingham Hippodrome full of amazement at how realistic and creative Christopher’s character was curated on stage.

The play has been touring on and off since 2014, but was first opened in 2012. Since then, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has won an astounding seven Olivier Awards in 2013, five Tony Awards in 2015, a WhatsOnStage Award in 2013, as well as a Drama League Award and five Outer Critics Circle Award. 

The production carefully constructs Christopher’s struggles just like in the novel so that we can understand his thought processes

Christopher is a 15-year-old boy who has autism, and his mission to find out who killed his neighbour’s dog, Wellington, forces him into a mystery he never imagined taking, one that leads him to realise he really can do anything. For those unaware, Autism refers to a broad range of conditions which are characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours and sometimes nonverbal communication. Christopher struggles with social interaction, human contact and is used to routine, but the production carefully constructs Christopher’s struggles just like in the novel so that we can understand his thought processes. Siobhan, Christopher’s teacher, played by Rebecca Root, is seen to narrate Christopher’s book that he uses to record his investigation and his story, which is how the play opened, allowing us straight into Christopher’s mind.  

Siobhan seems to be the only one to really understand Christopher and having her narrate Christopher’s story and be the voice in his head when he needs help with direction, allows the audience to understand Christopher better. Rebecca Root’s portrayal of Siobhan cannot be faulted and she provided a few laughs from the audience at times. 

Siobhan also makes comments to Christopher about turning his story into a play and about telling the audience about a maths question at the end for those who want to stay (which he did). This concept of a potential play inside a play created an intimacy with the audience – particularly as the play brought about a plethora of comedy which made my engagement with the production even more enjoyable.

This concept of a potential play inside a play created an intimacy with the audience

The theatrics of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time amazed me in the fact the production was closely aligned with the novel in the plot and portrayal of the characters, but having the visual elements on the stage brought Christopher’s story to life. There were many actors on stage making use of props when Christopher would list things out, and played many of the minor characters such as Reverend Peters and Mrs Alexander.

They also moved around acting as objects for when Christopher would come home to take his coat off and open cupboards. Boxes were also used as multiple objects across stage. When Christopher was feeling anxious, bold words on the screen and chaotic lighting was used to show his anxiety building up. The use of the screen, props, lighting and other characters on this simple set allowed Christopher’s autism and movement to shine through. 

An added bonus to this production was Christopher’s father, played by Tom Peters, bringing a real (very cute) dog on stage at the end which was extremely heart warming and was a perfect ending before Christopher’s poignant line ‘does this mean I can do anything?’ Despite Christopher’s father’s angry persona, this bonded the teared relationship of father and son to provide a touching end to this must-see play.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is not just a play about a boy trying to find out who killed a dog, it is a play about self-discovery and a boy’s courageous journey to realising he is so much more than what a label defines him as.

Rating: 4.5/5

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