84. Review of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (October 9, 2014)

84. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME



 

This is only the second play directed by Marianne Elliott I’ve ever seen, the other being WAR HORSE. Still, after experiencing her production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, now at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre following its premiere at Britain’s National Theatre and a hit West End run (ended when the theatre’s roof collapsed), I’m ready to announce that she’s one of the most imaginative, yet accessible, directors now working in the English-speaking theatre. Both WAR HORSE and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT are works with wide popular appeal, although the latter, for all its powerful emotional undertow, inclines a bit more toward the cerebral, while WAR HORSE is aimed entirely at your heart. Regardless, both will remain among my most memorable theatrical experiences.

Excellently adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT is about a 15-year-old boy, Christopher Boone (Alex Sharp; Taylor Trensch at matinees), living in Wiltshire, whose behavioral attributes strongly suggest Asperger’s, although no specific condition is ever mentioned. A mathematical savant, with encyclopedic knowledge of many things, Christopher aspires to be an astronaut. While high functioning, as the expression goes, he can be very difficult because of his severe lack of social skills, his inability to lie (in contrast to the lying that surrounds him), and his incomprehension of idiomatic expressions and even the simplest metaphors (like being the apple of someone’s eye). If he’s physically touched by another person he goes ballistic, and the best his usually brusque dad, Ed (Ian Barford, just right), can manage is a very carefully applied high five. You have to get past Christopher’s emotional limitations before you can learn to love him, which may be why the play is not as moving as WAR HORSE was.

The play begins with a blast of sound and light to reveal Christopher standing over the dead body of Wellington, a neighbor’s dog, stabbed to death with a garden fork (pitchfork). Despite Ed’s very strong objections, Christopher—a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast—determines to investigate the crime and find out who the killer is (curiosity killed the cat, not the dog), keeping a notebook of his findings. Christopher has been told by Ed that his mother, Judy (Enid Graham, very good), died of a heart ailment. When the boy, in the course of his investigation, discovers a hidden cache of letters, he embarks on a dangerous journey to London to shed light on this additional mystery.




Alex Sharp and cast of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The story, itself not especially complex, and potentially capable of a more realistic staging, requires many scenes and locales, giving it a cinematic sweep. Much of the action is narrated in Act one from Christopher’s notebook by Siobhan, although she does so as a conduit for the boy’s thoughts rather than as something she herself is saying. In Act two, the notebook, at her suggestion, has been transformed by Christopher into a play, and there are even self-referential comments to this effect between Siobhan and the audience. Christopher must overcome his negative response to playacting, however, which he considers another form of deceit.

The performance moves swiftly from moment to moment by using Bunny Christie’s abstract set, which is little more than a large black box built in forced perspective, with walls and raked floor covered in large, graph-like, white lines. The rear wall can move forward and backward, altering the sense of space. Traps in the floor, compartments in the walls, and sliding panels that create instant doors offer endless possibilities for scenic flexibility. Electrical elements built into the floor and walls allow for a remarkable number of digital effects that become especially vivid during Christopher’s trip as he negotiates the overwhelmingly complex world he encounters. A scene in an underground station when he jumps onto the tracks to retrieve his rat seems harrowingly realistic, despite its obvious artificiality. Another scene, which creates the impression of an escalator, has to be seen to be appreciated. Then there’s the miniature version of London Christopher creates, complete with a lighted train traveling through it . . . 

Ms. Elliott, and her equally brilliant choreographers, Scott Graham and Stephen Hoggett, using the company as an ensemble, have created as exciting a theatrical experience as you’re likely to encounter in a Broadway theatre. Aside from the actor playing Christopher, all the actors, even those playing principal roles, become part of the ensemble for crowd scenes. At times, an actor turns into a piece of furniture for Christopher to lean against. The ensemble rapidly moves a minimum of small boxes into place to serve a variety of purposes, and even Christopher is moved around by two of them when he’s held aloft in a sideways position as he runs around the walls. Aside from Mr. Barford, Ms. Graham, and  Ms. Faridany each handles just one named character, while the other actors play as many as eight roles. The lighting design (by Paul Constable), sound design (Ian Dickinson), and original score (Adrian Sutton) work in conjunction to enhance startling scene changes, aided by the video projections of Finn Ross. Ms. Christie’s carefully coordinated everyday costumes further assist the visual effectiveness of the play.

There are no missteps visible, and even the performance at the end of a sweet little puppy is perfectly calculated to offer just the right jot of sentimentality to offset Christopher’s emotional coolness. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is topped off by a superb performance by recent Juilliard graduate Alex Sharp, making his professional debut, who uses his body, voice, and facial expressions in a myriad of interesting ways to embody Christopher’s troubled but eternally resilient essence. Surely, though, if you’ve read this far, you must be curious to find out for yourself.