THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME | STAGE REVIEW
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Wed 15 Apr
When Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time was released in 2003, it proved such an overwhelming hit with critics and audience alike that it was only a matter of time before it was adapted for the stage. It was an innovative twist on the ‘whodunit’, following 15 year old Christopher Boone; a maths genius with severe learning difficulties who is accused of murdering his neighbour’s dog. His learning difficulties mean that he refuses to be touched, distrusts strangers and (most importantly for the audience) is incapable of telling a lie. As he tries to get to the bottom of who actually killed the dog, he gets more and more out of his comfort zone. He ends up digging up secrets from his family and neighbour’s pasts and events begin to spiral increasingly out of control – leading to an inevitably climatic finish.
What made it strike such a deeply personal chord with so many people was, in many ways, down to the deeply innovative narrative; written under the guise of a book that Christopher writes about the events that happen to him. As a result, we not only get to know him incredibly intimately as a character, but are always forced to watch events unfold and meet an array of deeply troubled characters through the often erratic and misguided perspective of Christopher, which gives the book an exceptionally unique narrative which you would assume would not lend itself easily to the stage or screen.
Now for the first time the National Theatre’s immensely successful adaptation, written by Simon Stephens, is touring the UK and has stopped at the Wales Millennium Centre to show Cardiff audiences how even the most unadaptable of books can be translated into an exceptional piece of theatre. Proving that when you have such excellent source material there is little point in needless changes, the only noticeable difference in plot is the added framing that this is supposed to be a play of Christopher’s book being put on by him and his school mentor Siobhan. Much of the plot and even dialogue is lifted straight out of the novel, and the character of Christopher couldn’t have been better played by Swansea actor Joshua Jenkins, who delivers a truly incredible performance which manages to be a sensitive and startlingly accurate characterization of someone with learning difficulties, injected with some excellent moments of comic timing.
The set consists of a number of panels making up four sides of a cube’s interior which seem to live and breathe with the play. It can turn from sparse and simplistic one second, to strobe lighting, deafening sound samples and blinding projections the next. It was a very effective portrayal of how distressing sensory overloads, such as a busy stations, are to Christopher. There are also some stunningly choreographed performances from the supporting cast thanks to Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
The play is simultaneously an incredibly performed character led piece and a fantastical visual spectacle which manages to bring the audience into Christopher’s world almost as intimately as the book did. And without giving too much away, take Christopher’s advice when he tells the audience during the play to stay in their seats if they want to see an extra scene once the rest of the audience have left.
words STEPHEN SPRINGATE
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tues 14 – Sat 18 Apr. Tickets: £18 – £37/Premium Seats £47. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk