Autumn Performances...

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime - 5 stars *****
Yesterday I went to Parrs Wood cinema in East Didsbury to see a live streaming of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime from The National Theatre. I didn't really know what to expect to be honest, I have read the book (by Mark Haddon), but wasn't sure how it would translate onto a stage, let alone a stage streamed onto a cinema screen.

The story revolves around 15 year old Christopher (played by 28 year old Luke Treadaway!), who is somewhere on the autistic spectrum, and follows his thought processes and actions from day to day. In the section of his life that we see, he deals with issues such as his mother leaving to live with another man (his father tells him she has died, which he later learns isn't true) and attempts to write a book about solving the mystery as to who killed his neighbour's dog, Wellington.

The play was adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott, and what a tremendous job they did. As so much of the book is internal thought, I did question how this would be managed, but Stephens translated it seamlessly, using the character of Christopher's teacher as a narrator, played by Niamh Cusack. She is reading from the book that Christopher has written about his experiences.

Lots of physical theatre, soundscapes and flashbacks were used to create scenes that were being read, and it was all really well done - since researching this piece, I have learnt it is Frantic Assembly's team that helped with these scenes, which explains a lot, as I love their company. One of my particular favourites was right at the beginning when Cusack was detailing Christopher's usual day and habits, as other characters became chairs and a bed which Treadaway interacted with like any other piece of furniture.

The set played a big part in the production, although it wasn't overly complicated. Perhaps the most important part of equipment was the floor, which had computer projections on so it appeared as: a graph that characters could use to draw on, the outlines of doors as Christopher went knocking at his neighbours' houses, and a map of the train routes in London. Aside from this, the main other props were plain white boxes, which were used in different ways throughout; as seats, a toilet, a drum, a fishtank (complete with projection of swimming fish) and a train. It meant that a lot of different areas could be created, with minimal movement of furniture and fuss. 

The director had chosen to use an ensemble cast, which I thought did the actors great justice, as characters were still clearly defined despite being played by the same people, with very subtle costume changes. The fourth wall was broken down, as the cast always sat around the edges of the acting space, reacting as an audience would for scenes where they were 'off-stage'. There were points throughout the production where actors came out of character for comedic effect, which I must admit, I am not usually a fan of, but it really worked with this play. Having the actors always visible also meant that the people producing the soundscapes were seen as they were doing so, again bringing the audience closer into the action.

Seeing this performance really made me realise how much I love and miss live theatre - even if this wasn't technically in a theatre - and I am glad that my friend suggested going. Together with some familiar faces such as Una Stubbs, Paul Ritter and Nick Sidi, and a very cute dog, it is one of the best plays I have ever seen (topped only by Pool, No Water by Frantic Assembly!).