The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Sutton Arts Theatre
Friday 13th September 2024
By : Nigel Gambles
Photographs : Olly Foster & Christopher Commander
Disclaimer : Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a curious play very modern, fresh, and unique. I don’t think Ive seen anything else like it. After a little research I discovered that it has only just been released for amateur theatre groups and is an incredibly challenging play for any group. It requires incredible acting, perfect timing, and choreographed movements that are made to look random. It’s a brave group that take this on and thankfully, Sutton Arts Theatre are as always up for the challenge.
Basically this is a very human story told beautifully. This exceptional production requires lighting, sound and movement to create the confusion in the mind of our protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone aged 15, three months and two days. Christopher can tell no lies sees the world as he wants to and has meltdowns if he is touched or his world of order is threatened.
This is an emotional and physically demanding role which is handled in a quite stunning performance by Maxim Adderley who is totally believable in his portraying of the characters autistic condition.
The play is really an interpretation of the book Christopher has written, read by his teacher Siobahn from his special school. A superb performance by Liz Plumpton, she supports and guides Christopher perhaps closer to him than his father and dead mother, dead only to him. This really creates a play within a play.
Without wanting to disclose the whole plot of the show all I would say is, this is a show that would not look lost in any cities major theatre.
The ensemble cast, which also includes Anil Patel, Kieran Jenkins and Harriet Gordon, are on stage all the time, becoming shopkeepers, policemen, ticket office staff, drunks, vicars as well as crowds on busy streets, packed trains and tubes as well as inanimate objects such as tables, chairs and coat stands. It is all done perfectly with some precision choreography from Louisa Clark, Joanne James, Liz Plumpton and Emily Armstrong and superb skill from a well rehearsed cast.
A large moon dominates the rear of the stage, emphasising Christopher’s love bordering on obsession with space which also acts as a video screen with projections from Chris Commander and director Faye Hatch.
The set, from Mark Natrass and Faye Hatch again, is quite unique and simple It is a collection of pale coloured boxes on either side of the stage, which are seats for the cast and when they are part of the action, they move into the centre and then move back to the block, from where they started. This movement is smooth and utterly gorgeous to watch there is no hesitation, they know exactly whats going on. The cast move the cubes to become everything in the show they become two sides of a platform in a tube station in a heart stopping moment where Christopher jumps on the tracks to save his pet, they also become the seats on the train. and a number of another items.
Lighting design, from Going Dark Theatrical Services, sound and stylised movement all help to create the disconnect and disordered order of Christopher’s world in what is a magical production, beautifully acted by the 10 strong cast and wonderfully directed by Faye Hatch.
This is a story of a young boy with problems in a world he finds difficult to understand and come to terms with, his teacher is his friend and at times his protector. His parents are trying to do their best for him but not always getting in right.
Finally we have a show from a truly superb amateur group which is totally unmissable, I have spoken with members from other amateur groups who echo this and could not praise the production highly enough.
Running until 21/09/2024 Tickets from https://www.suttonartstheatre.co.uk/
