Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at People’s Theatre

“…the performance was brilliant… such great use of an ensemble… something special to behold…”

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon adapted by Simon Stephens, People’s Theatre

By Lauren Powell

I remember when it seemed like everyone had a copy of Mark Haddon’s book in their personal library. It was something people talked about a lot for about a year in the early 2000s and I was constantly recommended it. In hindsight, these people were probably picking up on the undiagnosed autism vibes and thinking I’d appreciate it. Rude. 

The plot is fairly straightforward, for a show that opens with a dog impaled on a garden fork. A boy, limited by his autism, goes on a childlike Sherlock Holmes adventure to solve the dog’s murder and discovers he can achieve anything along the way. 

Overall, I was so impressed by the way this play was executed – another smashing performance from the lads and lasses at the People’s. I must admit though that I struggled to get on with elements of the source material. The plot is very predictable for something that has the veneer of a murder mystery and our hero, Christopher, played expertly by Zachary Douglas, is a bit of an old-fashioned portrayal of someone who is autistic. He is very maths, trains and meltdowns – which always rubs me up slightly the wrong way – dropping into caricature rather than character. These may seem like some pretty big critiques to get over, but I think if you aren’t as sensitive about the portrayal of neurodivergence as I am, you may find it refreshing or interesting to see the world through the  lens of the most classic ‘Rain Man’ style autistic teenage boy (unnuanced, though it may be).

Gripes with the source material aside, I thought that the transformation into a play was a great move and the performance was brilliant. I’ve rarely seen a play make such great use of an ensemble. There is no dancing, but the choreography and interplay was something special to behold. Characters surfaced and then sank back; people with the same faces spoke in very different voices; everyone got a good amount of time in the spotlight and it helped the play feel fleshed out, as though the world truly was full of strangers for Christopher to encounter. I particularly enjoyed the crowd scenes; they really brought me into a packed tube or a busy street. There was a lot of mime work too, which conveyed some really complex processes. The ensemble managed to represent a series of events that, were it on screen, would have been a ‘getting-ready’ montage.  The little fourth wall breaks were a lot of fun, which made me wonder if/when and which bits of the character Siobhan (Alison Carr) were real or in his head. It’s the sort of thing that makes me wonder if a second watch might change my perspective? 

I was very excited by the staging and props. The People’s Theatre really knows how to do a lot with a little. Barring the impaled dog (courtesy of Andrew De’Ath), the props were mostly a train set and the stage was a collection of IKEA-style white cubes. Those cubes were magical: between them and the ensemble, they made a neighbourhood of houses, school classrooms, parks, train stations, trains, beds… I could go on. Such creativity. The floor and walls were marked up with mathematical doodles, which Christopher interacted with, really keeping scenes that could be a little exposition-heavy engaging and stimulating. This was a win for the lighting crew too. An atmospheric highlight for me was the scene where Christopher is looking at the London sky and clusters of lasers represented starlight in the city. Beautiful, it really felt like an intimate moment. 

If you enjoyed the book, then this play is a must for you. Personally, I won’t be reading it, but I would absolutely be back to see a play with this same team. The stagecraft was excellent, the acting was the perfect example of excellent individuals working together, and the whole being greater than the sum of their parts. Bar the original material, I loved everything about this production. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time plays at People’s Theatre until Saturday 13 June. Tickets are available here.

Lauren Powell is a recovering academic from the North East of England. Currently residing in South Shields with her partner and two malevolent gerbils. Lauren is a short form writer who writes fiction as well as reviews. She has loved the theatre since childhood, and many years ago volunteered back stage with an amateur group, Stage Focus.  From one man readings to musical and beyond, Lauren can not get enough! You can find her on Twitter/X here.