The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on tour - review
★★★
When your neighbour's dog is found killed with a garden fork, there is only one thing for it. Start an investigation into who killed Wellington, and discover the truth about the sleepy neighbourhood you thought was safe...
Mark Haddon's seminal novel, adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens and now directed by Ned Bennett, is here told through a "female autistic lens," and the coming-of-age story holds up marvellously.
The sensory aspects of the piece are both impressive and executed with care and consideration. All performances of this production are relaxed with neurodiverse audience members in mind.
Music (by Giles Thomas) underscores the production (so do roll calls of primary numbers) and signposts dramatic reveals and tension. At times, with the cast tumbling and jumping around the stage on gym mats and blocks, it's like being in a video game. Giant projections (designed by Hayley Egan) fill a wall above the two-tiered stage, zooming in on the contents of pockets or casting bubblegum skies with subtle dog-shaped clouds. In the sanctuary of our heroine's familiar home and neighbourhood, lighting, costume and set create a world of pastel. An Easter egg bonnet-esque palette sees characters dressed like the cast of Balamory, each with a signature colour. Chris, however, wears a bright blue boilersuit, standing out in her story but not quite fitting in.
In a neutral green, Bridgette Amofah plays the caring teacher Siobhan, acting as her student's confidante. As a narrator, she reads from the book that Chris is writing while investigating the murder of her neighbour's dog. When revelations begin to spill - that of secrets, adultery and mistrust - the lighting turns to yellow, Chris's least favourite colour of all. Her bubblegum world pops.
In the second act, the show suddenly becomes meta. It becomes clear that the very play we are watching is being staged at Chris's school, and she is the director. What isn't clear is whether that informed mum Judy's (Charlie Brooks) choice to strut stage right after each scene, or dad Ed's (Joe McFadden) elevated shouting voice, in that the actors were acting as actors. Either way, their performances are at odds with Alex Keenan as Chris, who is naturally fluid in a marathon effort which requires athleticism, emotion and a lengthy script.
It's in this act that things become a little surreal, too. Yellow bouncy balls explode onto the stage, plus there's a jump rope sequence and a throwing and catching game as you play in team-building workshops. It's like watching an episode of The Cube rather than a drama. The ensemble, acrobatic and multi-roling, are put through their paces with each scene delivering a new, and perhaps unnecessary, device.
This production is ambitious. It throws everything at the glossy, polished pale pink set; gnomes and all. But at the heart of it is a great central performer and a gripping story, which doesn't require all of these bells and whistles.
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