THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME transferred to London's West End, following a sold-out run at the National's Cottesloe Theatre in 2012. The production received seven 2013 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play.
Fifteen-year old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor's dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.
The production is designed by three-time Olivier Award-winner Bunny Christie, with lighting by Tony Award-winner Paule Constable, video design by Finn Ross, movement by Scott Graham and Olivier Award-winner Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.
That combination of intense emotionalism and visual dazzle is captured brilliantly in Marianne Elliott's production, awash in video projections and moving parts (the ingenious grid-lined set is by Bunny Christie). Simon Stephens's lean, fast-moving adaptation makes smart use of the ensemble to create a polyphony of voices for narrative heavy lifting, while his domestic scenes don't stint on grimness.
We'd talk about Christopher today as falling 'somewhere on the autism spectrum,' though Haddon would prefer we thought of him simply as 'an outsider,' a stance that makes the story that much more of a relatable experience. This kid up on stage, as portrayed by the nimble Sharp? Well, he's me. And my friends. And probably you, too, on any day when you feel overwhelmed, or more than a little obsessive-compulsive.
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