Have you ever stayed behind after a theatre performance to hear a young man explain Pythagoras’ Theorem in detail? You will after seeing this.
The smash hit production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has arrived at the Empire Theatre, bringing Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel to life on stage. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tells the story of 15-year-old Christopher, who has an extraordinary brain.
He is exceptional at maths, while everyday life presents some barriers. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and he distrusts strangers. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbour’s dog, it takes him on a journey that upturns his world.
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The performance proved magical, mixed with deep bouts of paternal affection for its main character and some big laughs along the way. Which is strange considering it’s a dark tale of parental betrayal, living with Asperger Syndrome and someone sticking a garden fork through the neighbour’s dog.
The simple yet innovative set creatively maps out Christopher’s thought processes, with moments of sensory overload conveyed by suitably overwhelming technical effects. The play is presented in a self-aware manner as if Christopher is presenting a play of his story and there isn’t a single detail of the production that hasn’t been carefully planned and executed.
David Breeds in the role of Christopher shines as he presents matter-of-fact information about the world around him, shares his wariness of strangers but then shows complete dismissal to the dangers of climbing onto a train track to rescue his pet rat. He’s hard not to love.
Sophie Stone as Judy, Christopher’s mother, brings an incredible amount of emotion to her powerful performance - and her confession of the difficulty she had raising Christopher is delivered with raw honesty and vulnerability like no other.
Rebecca Root plays Siobhan, a teacher at Christopher’s school who takes a strong interest in her troubled pupil, creating a character so warm that by the end you’d never guess she’s the strict voice of reason so often.
Tom Peters plays Ed, Christopher’s dad, who leaves you reeling at every turn. He’s probably a better dad than he’d give himself credit for - but then you hear of his past deeds and it’s up to your moral compass to decide if he’s still a good man.
You’ll laugh at the most unexpected lines, marvel at striking visuals and you will leave the theatre knowing that the cast has done Mark Haddon’s much-loved novel justice. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday, March 26. You can get tickets here.
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