On Monday I had the pleasure of seeing ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ at The Mayflower, Southampton, and it was absolutely fantastic.
I have to admit I was a little sceptical, as more of a
musical person I wasn’t sure how I’d find a play after years of not seeing one,
and I was interested to see how the book was transferred to stage, as well as
how a person with Autism is portrayed.
Curious Incident tells the story of Christopher (played by Scott Reid), a fifteen year old boy with Autism. One night, Christopher finds his next door neighbour’s dog, Wellington, has been killed with a garden fork, and he sets about on a quest to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. Yet there’s so much more to it than that, and the audience gains a better understanding of how the world is seen through the eyes of a person with Autism.
The play is based on Mark Haddon’s novel of the same name, and has been adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens. Curious Incident won seven 2013 Olivier awards and five 2015 Tony Awards.
Both my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the play, and
particularly enjoyed how people with Autism were portrayed. There were many
times where you could laugh at how exceptionally intelligent Christopher is,
yet how he struggles to interpret certain elements of day to day life – his misunderstanding
of sarcasm, and the unspoken rules of the British culture.
I have to mention the character of Siobhan (Lucianne McEvoy), who was a
particular highlight for me. I loved how the story was narrated by her, in the
style of her reading out parts of Christopher’s book, and asking him about it.
The effects used and the set were also phenomenal, with the use of the lighting
to show where Christopher was – such as when he travelled by tube to London.
The small cast were also exceptional - playing multiple characters throughout
the play.
I really felt uplifted from seeing the character of
Christopher overcome certain obstacles in his daily life, and that even though
he may see the world a bit differently, he could still achieve great things.
Overall, I found ‘Curious Incident’ to be an utterly fantastic production, with
a great combination of cast, set and effects, certainly one not to be missed!
Special thanks to The Mayflower, Southampton for providing the images in this post.
