London Theatre Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Piccadilly Theatre
Posted on 20 February 2019
The West End revival of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a highly successful novel written by Mark Haddon that was adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Simon Stephens, is currently playing a limited run at the Piccadilly Theatre.
About the Curious Incident play
A winner of five Oliver awards and two Tony awards, the play follows the story of Christopher Boone (played by the brilliant Joshua Jenkins), a young boy with a gift for mathematics but who suffers from an array of behavioural difficulties and who, after finding a dog killed with a pitch-fork in his neighbour’s garden, decides to investigate who committed such a crime. Although the play’s thrust is very much about Christopher investigating the murder, it’s more about his relationship with the people he interacts with and how he processes the world around him.
The Curious Incident play in review
Intricately choreographed scenes of crowds pushing past Christopher, performers lifting characters up, lighting effects mapping Christopher’s journey, and bold and intrusive sound effects compound the struggles of Christopher’s condition. The sheer assault on the senses, from the high energy performances of the cast to the blasting sound effects and strobe lighting effect, were effective at several moments in the play. But for me, it was particularly in the scene where Christopher learns of some surprise shocking news that makes him decide to venture into London on his own for the first time.
The play’s visual spectacle alone feels like a good reason to see the production. There were moments when I felt the play overwhelmed the audience with production value rather than provide a story with substance. But it’s the heart that truly won through in the end. It managed to blend humour with pathos and understanding with denial, and it’s through Christopher’s relationship with his father and the story’s surprise plot twist where we truly understand the difficulties of Christopher’s condition and how that has affected the people around him.
Book your tickets to The Curious Incident with no booking fees!
Tickets to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Piccadilly Theatre are now on special offer. Book your tickets to The Curious Incident today and pay no booking fees. This offer is valid for all performances from Monday through Thursday until 4 April 2019.
Purchase your tickets to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
By James Lacy
James Lacy is an Actor and Writer from South East London. 1 Years Training in the Miesner Technique from The Impulse Company. Theatre and Boxing Fan.