A brand new touring production of Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel opened to significant anticipation at Birmingham Rep in September. The staging, directed by Ned Bennett, follows a 15-year-old with ASD named Chris who lives in Swindon with her father Ed. Her mother Judy is absent from the outset, with Ed explaining she died of a heart attack in hospital.
The discovery of a neighbour’s dog lying dead on the lawn sets in motion a quest for truth. Chris discovers far more than she intends to, and her entire world is turned upside down. The original novel sees Chris writing her day-to-day experiences down in the form of a book with the encouragement of her teacher Siobhan.
The premise of Stephens’ stage adaptation is to see Chris’s teachers turn the written words into a play. The immediate first observation as the curtain rises is that Eleanor Bull’s stage design is very pared-back. This contrasts sharply with the hi-tech 3D graph that Bunny Christie provided in previous iterations of the work.
It soon becomes clear that this huge, blank cyclorama enables the production to expand easily onto different sizes of stage. It includes the vast space of the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. The design throws the audience straight into the semi-real world that is being created by the text.
Chris’s life is kept stable by order and routine, and the thrust of the play is to let us inside her mind. She navigates first her own neighbourhood and then the mind-blowing confusion of travelling to London by herself. This journey is undertaken in search of her mother after a major meltdown in her relationship with her father.
Bull’s set becomes a canvas on which every waking thought is painted. The objects and obstacles of the world are represented as they might be if played out by Chris’s teachers and classmates. The whole stage becomes a soft play area, with a skipping rope representing the concentration required to plan every step forward in the outside world.
At one point, coinciding with her arrival in London, the world turns into a ball pool populated entirely by bright yellow. This is Chris’s least favourite colour. The idea of staging everything in a metatheatrical world as though it is being recreated in school is a very clever move.
This approach possibly makes this telling more accessible to a younger audience. It is worth mentioning that the reviewer was unable to attend the previous evening’s press performance. Instead, they saw a schools’ matinee the following day, which proved to be a highly attentive crowd.
It was telling, especially for a piece that runs to 2½ hours, that the audience mostly made up of very large school parties were among the most attentive ever seen. It was abundantly clear that the production was engaging with them all spectacularly well. The performance delivered on Wednesday afternoon featured Imi Price in the central role.
Chris is played by Alex Keenan with Imi Price as alternate in the role. Price, who is making her professional stage debut in this production, delivers a spectacular performance in this central character. It is good to see an autistic actor cast in the part, adding authenticity to the portrayal.
Joe McFadden and Charlie Brooks are Ed and Judy Boone, and they both cleverly negotiate the twists of the text. They act alternately as they see themselves and also as they are seen by Chris. Bridgette Amofah is Siobhan, who is both a teacher and confidante for Chris, and takes the leading part in the narrative style delivery of the story.
This reading in particular seems to highlight the importance of a trusted teacher in the life of a child. This is especially true when their trust in their parents is shaken to the core. The dynamic between the characters is handled with nuance and emotional depth throughout the runtime.
Bennett’s direction, aided by movement director Jennifer Jackson, highlights the way the play sits between reality and play-acting. Once you immerse yourself in the universe that the staging creates, it becomes remarkably powerful. The transition between the internal monologue and external action is seamless and effective.
The final pages of the story, as a new sort of order is restored to Chris’s life, are genuinely moving. She looks forward to the future with a sense of renewed stability. The emotional resonance of the conclusion leaves a lasting impact on the audience as the lights fade.
This is an impressive re-staging of a story that has swiftly become a modern classic. It is bound to gain a lot of new readers for the novel as well. The production offers a new viewpoint for existing fans of the original Marianne Elliott staging from 2012.
The original production for The National Theatre has seen three tours in the UK alone, along with numerous appearances globally. The new staging under the direction of Ned Bennett has some extremely big shoes to fill. However, the critical reception suggests it meets the high expectations set by its predecessors.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is at Liverpool Empire until Saturday 7th November. It will then continue its tour across the United Kingdom. Dates are currently booking through to July 2027, ensuring a long run for this acclaimed theatrical adaptation.
The production’s ability to adapt to various venue sizes makes it a flexible and robust touring candidate. The minimalistic design ensures that the focus remains firmly on the text and the actors. This strategic choice enhances the storytelling without relying on expensive technical effects.
Reporting verified from official briefings and primary coverage by www.goodnewsliverpool.co.uk.
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