The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I read Mark Haddon's novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, several years ago. It was interesting because it was narrated by an autistic teenager, and thus was an attempt, largely successful, of showing the world through his eyes.

A few years ago, Simon Stevens adapted the book into a play, and this was a challenge because now the theater-goer would see the world through the eyes of an autistic teenager. This requires a lot of stage-craft: you probably won't be seeing this done in high schools, despite the age of the main character.

I saw the play at the Smith Center over the weekend and I was mostly impressed, but not completely bowled over. The play retains it's English setting, but the accents are all over the place. I'm not sure who was American and who was English. The actor who plays the boy's father, Gil Gillette, sounded like he was from a completely different part of England than everybody else. Of course, that's feasible, but it all sounded strange.

The play centers around Christopher Boone, who finds his neighbor's dog murdered with a pitchfork. After the police initially think he did it, he decides to be a detective like his hero, Sherlock Holmes (the title is from a Holmes story) and find out who did it. But he ends unearthing family secrets that his father tried to keep hidden. Christopher will end up going to London on his own, a feat that requires considerable bravery.

The set is as much a character as any of the actors. Lights flash, chalk magically appears on walls, and a train set is built on the floor. All of this helps us understand Christopher's being overwhelmed by things. His arrival in Paddington Station is a constant barrage of signs and lights. But he is also very smart (he knows a lot about astronomy) and he is able to find where he needs to go by a scientific method.

The theme of the play is lies versus truth. By his own admission, Christopher cannot lie, and he hates those that do. He doesn't like acting because it is lying. But he has been fed lies by the man he is supposed to trust, his father.

Adam Langdon plays Christopher in a role that I imagine is exceedingly difficult. He must play an autistic teen but also be very sympathetic (those around him, including his father, are frequently exasperated with him). The role is also a very physical one. Christopher hates to be touched, and Langdon expresses that well, and he is also a character who is constantly moving.

Some of the play bothered me. I found the direction by Marianne Elliott uneven. Some of the transitions were awkward, so much so that scenes seemed to be missing. I also disliked the ending note. One thing I remember distinctly about the novel is that the last line is Christopher thinking, "I can do anything." In the play, and I don't know if this was Stephens's choice or Elliott's, that statement becomes a question, which reduces its emotional power.