Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

There isn’t much razzle-dazzle at the opening night of a new play at Putney Arts Theatre, but there is a palpable sense of excitement.

This reviewer has never read Mark Haddon’s acclaimed 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – it’s been one of those books that everyone else has read – nor seen Simon Stephens’ award-winning adaptation at the National Theatre, so arriving at the converted church on Upper Richmond Road came with no expectations.

What emerged was a production that deliberately charts its own course. Where Marianne Elliott’s National Theatre version won awards for its technological brilliance and innovative staging, director Frances Bodiam has created something intentionally stripped back and transferable. The stage is a simple rectangle in the center, with audience seating on the long sides in intimate stepped rows. The floor features spirals embedded with Fibonacci numbers – a mathematical motif that reflects protagonist Christopher’s worldview without overwhelming it.

This pared-back approach serves a clear purpose: accessibility. Bodiam wants this vital story performed anywhere, from schools to community theatres, ensuring the message reaches as wide an audience as possible.

Inside Christopher’s mind

And what a message it is. Beyond its compelling mystery plot – 15-year-old Christopher Boone investigating who killed his neighbour’s dog – the play’s greatest achievement is immersing you completely in the mind of someone with autism. This production succeeds extraordinarily well, anchored by Harry Pavlou’s remarkable performance as Christopher.

Pavlou captures the character’s blunt honesty, logical processing, and sensory overwhelm with nuanced authenticity. The experience becomes at times funny, disturbing, uplifting, and overwhelming as Christopher’s small world expands and grows more confusing. His investigation unravels family secrets and painful memories with mounting intensity, but it’s Pavlou’s portrayal of Christopher’s unique perspective that gives the revelations their power.

Perspective and empathy

The production’s strength lies in its ability to shift perspectives seamlessly. Sometimes you’re sitting with Christopher, experiencing his confusion and logic; other times you observe him through other people’s eyes, feeling both sympathy for his directness and understanding of others’ frustration in his orbit.

Two performances in particular anchor this emotional landscape: Lizzie Iredale as Christopher’s teacher Siobhan provides steady, patient support, while Emily Fellows brings remarkable gentleness to his elderly neighbour. These adults offer Christopher love without life’s complications, serving as crucial emotional anchors as the story unfolds.

The play’s most challenging moments involve Christopher’s parents – flawed people doing their best in impossible circumstances. These scenes prove both poignant and painful in their complexity, made more so by Christopher’s reactions of rational disconnection or overwhelming sensory overload.

Creative staging solutions

Several sequences demonstrate the production’s creative problem-solving. Christopher’s journey from Swindon to Central London – a terrifying ordeal for someone with his intense sensory experience – achieves remarkable effectiveness using just boxes and ensemble actors as props. The staging transforms the simple set into trains, stations, and crowds with impressive economy.

The production employs a “play within a play” structure, presenting Christopher’s classmates retelling his story under his direction. This meta-theatrical device creates intriguing layers, though it pays off inconsistently throughout the evening.

Perhaps more could have been made of Christopher’s moments of extreme emotion. The play occasionally feels grounded while Christopher’s imagination soars into mathematical stratospheres. The design elements that provide comfort to a child with an extraordinary ability with numbers could have been woven more seamlessly. The sound achieves its goal of driving relentlessly forward with a constant sense of anxiety admirably, but occasionally slips during intimate moments and gets in the way.

But these are minor quibbles with a production that succeeds dramatically at its primary goal: creating genuine empathy and understanding for neurodivergent perspectives. The closing of the play – unexpected and enjoyable and very much Chris – give it a much-needed moment of catharsis.

A moving achievement

This is thoughtful, affecting theatre that will stay with you long after leaving the intimate space of Putney Arts Theatre. It opens your eyes a little wider, makes you more attuned to seeing others as they truly are rather than as you expect them to be. In our increasingly connected yet divided world, that’s a remarkable achievement.

Running 2 hours 15 minutes with interval. Playing this week only—get tickets fast.