Play: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Stage Director: Marianne Elliott
Writer: Simon Stephens
Cast: Geraldine Alexander, Emmanuela Cole, Gina Isaac, Joshua Jenkins, Stuart Laing
Venue: King’s Theatre, Glasgow
Running Time: 2hr 30mins
Based on Mark Haddon‘s bestseller, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was once dismissed by the author as unadaptable for stage. However, since its launch in 2012, the National Theatre production has been met with captive audiences, critical acclaim and no less than seven Olivier Awards.
The UK tour of The Curious Incident made a stop in Glasgow at the King’s Theatre, playing to a full house for five nights before moving on.
Even before Adrian Sutton‘s futuristic music begins to emit from the speakers, the audience are confronted with an unforgettable visual: a poodle stabbed with a garden fork. The poor dog’s chalk outline occupies centre stage and our main character’s mind for the majority of the play as its death kick starts a series of life-changing events.
Christopher is depicted as a fifteen-year-old with an extraordinary brain, capable of complex mathematics and remembering infinite detail but unable to deal with the social interaction of day-to-day life. He decides to investigate the dog’s untimely demise and in doing so uncovers an element of mystery to his own life that he is determined to explain.
Joshua Jenkins gives a stunning performance in the role, his encapsulation of a chaotic internal struggle aided by Bunny Christie and Finn Ross‘ set design, comprised of interactive screens that project Christopher’s narrative and thought processes in a unique, all-encompassing fashion.
Everything is told from this point of view with dialogue being interspersed with fragments of memory and excerpts from the protagonist’s own written record. Moments of panic are accompanied with flashing lights and repetitive counting while rare snippets of peace are offset by tranquil music and starlight.
The audience are immersed into Christopher’s mind and offered a tender commentary on family, trust and stigma. The experience is an emotional and rewarding one, with a touching finale that plays on the elements of human connection and a singular humour that has woven itself throughout.
The only criticism could be perhaps too heavy a reliance on the special effects of the stage to carry the story along. However, this is of little consequence in the moment and most theatre-goers are unlikely to complain after being treated to an utterly charming encore once all is said and done.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME UK tour is running until 21st November 2015 and plays at London’s Gielgud Theatre year-round. For full information, visit the production website (http://curiousonstage.com).
Verdict
