This dazzling hi-tech drama from the National Theatre is a story of a family struggling to cope
'Curious Incident' transfers to Troubadour Wembley Park in November 2021. This review is from 2017.
Three theatres, three casts, one major disaster and seven Olivier Awards on, the National Theatre’s adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel about Christopher Boone, the teenage ‘mathematician with some behavioural difficulties’ remains a thing of unbridled wonder.
The occasion for this re-review is the end of the enforced layoff inflicted upon ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’. The show figuratively blew the roof off when it transferred from the NT to the Apollo Theatre, but unfortunately the ageing ceiling responded by literally collapsing, necessitating a change of venue and months off. Hopefully, that episode will provide a footnote.
The most important thing is that Simon Stephens’s adaptation remains high tech and high quality. The first Christopher, Luke Treadaway, will always cast a huge shadow, and incumbent Graham Butler can’t match his coiled spring energy and manic otherness. But if Butler offers a gentler, more ‘normal’ hero, his superficial lack of strangeness means that it’s all the more heartbreaking when his nameless condition – presumably Asperger’s – leaves him suddenly, unexpectedly broken, unable to cope with something as simple as a human touch.
Ultimately ‘Curious Incident’ is a tragedy about a family torn apart by the pressures of looking after their son. Nicolas Tennant and Emily Joyce are excellent as Christopher’s bumblingly selfless dad Ed and agonised mum Judy, driven to put her own wellbeing before that of the child who will never love her in the way she loves him.
The genius of Marianne Elliott’s production is that the tragedy is bound up in so much charm, whimsy, good humour and virtuoso staging that you only occasionally feel blue as Christopher – convinced his dad is dangerous – embarks on an ill-advised odyssey to London to find his mum.
Bunny Christie’s design was neat at the intimate Cottesloe, but blown up for a big stage it’s awe-inspiring, her huge mathematical grid set flaring with life at every turn: maps, cities, trains, constellations – the wondrous strange workings of Christopher’s mind, pumped into something exhilarating by Adrian Sutton’s electronic score.
Perhaps it was the weight of expectations, but at the NT I felt the show was a brilliant but conventional adaptation of Haddon’s unconventional bestseller, reliant on Treadaway for greatness. But on a bigger stage, its virtuoso techiness is given full reign – this is a show that’s as extraordinary as its hero.
The acclaimed National Theatre production and novel written by Mark Haddon has finally come to the Manchester Opera House. To say I was excited was an understatement, and I wasn’t left disappointed.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows teenager Christopher Boone as he unravels the mystery of who killed his neighbour’s dog, Wellington. As he tries to figure out this mystery, other aspects of his life are put under scrutiny. I was curious as to how this bestselling novel would be adapted to the stage. One of my friends said that it wasn’t something she could imagine onstage. However, this show has probably proven my friend wrong.
Christopher is quite a hard character to describe, because on paper, you may not like his abrupt, slightly ‘irrational’ personality. Although many have attributed mental health conditions such as Asperger or autism to his character, Haddon has never confirmed anything, nor is it particularly the point of the novel. Although a lovable character, he can be quite frustrating if you don’t understand mental health and how Christopher is drawn to act.
Thankfully, the book delves deep into his psyche as it is a first-person perspective, and the play didn’t falter at this either. David Breeds was stellar as Christopher – his mannerisms captured his anxiety, and his nervous body movements made me believe he was fifteen. He captured the balance of Christopher’s manic episodes and his vulnerability, and I loved every moment of his performance. During the interval, I said that his mannerisms were quite ‘Evan Hansen-esque’, and it turns out that Breeds made his West End debut in Dear Evan Hansen, which I can completely see as his inspiration for his take on Christopher. Breeds was entirely charming as Christopher, and he captured the diverseness of his character’s emotions well.
The entire cast was excellent. I loved Rebecca Root as Siobbhan. It was interesting because in some parts she largely acted as the narrator, which worked quite well because she is the person who Christopher confides in the most. I loved her concern for Christopher whilst still being realistic with him, and without appearing condescending or lowing how she speaks because of his mental health struggles. I also particularly enjoyed how playful she was, with the occasional breaking of the fourth wall.
The most striking part of this play was definitely the staging and lighting. The lighting, in particular, was extremely effective at portraying Christopher’s emotions, particularly if he was panicking as it would be an intense strobe light with projections on the back screen of the stage. Christopher would drew on the floor the illustrations shown in the book, and these images were replicated on the back screen so that the audience could see them. It was a really nice nod to the novel, and I’m glad that they still included many of his drawings because it’s a charming aspect of the book.
This entire production was a showcase of what theatre should be – incredible acting, fantastic lighting, creative scenery and a heartfelt story being brought to life. I genuinely could not recommend it enough, even if you haven’t read the novel, because I’m sure that you’ll have a great time figuring out the mysteries and joining Christopher in his journey.
If you do see it though, wait until after the final bows – there may be a surprise at the end! There may also be some animals on stage, which I was not expecting either.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time plays at Manchester Opera House until 12th March before continuing its UK tour until May.