The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Tamaritans Theatre Company
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Performed at The Watermark Centre, Ivybridge
As seen by Nina Jarram, NODA SW District 3 Representative on Thursday 10th July 2025
Directed by Ami Philpott

When a play that you are about to see is based on your favourite book, you automatically
worry about how the adaptation will translate from page to stage in the same way prior
to watching the movie version of your favourite book. One thing you can rely on however
is the quality of the performances from The Tamaritans so I knew that my text was in safe
hands.
We were greeted with a stuffed toy dog with a homemade pitchfork sticking out of it and
a hatstand displaying an array of different hats and costume pieces suggesting a more
non naturalistic approach to the production. This excited me as a well paid-up member
of Team Brecht whilst anticipating how a company renowned for the success of their
naturalistic exploration of playscript would execute this challenging project.
The cast entered carrying identical boxes which they sat on and which later revealed to
be receptacles hiding various props used throughout the play, This worked well and kept
the pace flowing alongside the rapid changes of characterisation.
There was some impactful creativity from the Director such as the portrayal of the
planets spinning around which was well imagined, the use of the projection mirroring the
image of the character’s drawing in live time and the symbolic way that the lead
character was frantically trying to retrieve pieces of his train set as he struggled to piece
together what he had discovered.
There was some confusion with the use of props versus mimed gestures and actions.
Firstly, if you are going to demonstrate a door being opened through mime, then this
needs to be an exaggerated gesture to suggest to the audience rather than to convince.
At times the cast struggled with this which I think was due to the lack of understanding of
the need for intention over action. Even in this type of production there is a need for
consistency here to avoid audience confusion. Someone pretending to write in a book
one moment should not really playing with an actual football or holding a physical cup in
another scene.
There is no doubt that the Director of this piece is a very experienced theatre practioner
having read her programme bio, but alongside her vision and the challenging nature of
staging this play, it seemed like a lot of the non-naturalistic theatrical conventions were
not fully explained in the rehearsal process to support performer outcomes, which to me
I’m afraid affected their interpretation.

The lead character was played by an actor who clearly understood his brief as one of the
only cast members who played the same part throughout. This was a physically
demanding role played convincingly and emotionally always engaging the audience.
There was a lovely, juxtaposed performance by the actor playing his father taking
everything in his stride alongside the chaotic mind set of his troubled son. The actor
playing his mother also demonstrated a naturalistic interpretation of a woman who
doubted her ability to look after her complicated son. The story was clearly narrated by
an actor with excellent stage presence who represented the lead character’s written
word with a calm positivity amongst the busy execution of physical theatre, sound
scaping, canonised sequences and character hopping.
The ensemble worked incredibly hard in keeping up with a challenging interpretation and
I would like to give a particular mention to the actor playing the policeman and the uncle
whose experience shone through. Alongside him, the actor portraying Mr Shears
amongst other well thought out representations was also very professional and between
them delivered slick and purposeful character transitions.
Mirroring the context of the storyline, there was a lot to process on stage amidst some

confused lighting plots and overpowering music. What was evident though was a hard-
working cast battling through a highly physicalised piece of theatre. A collaborative

endeavour showcasing the excellent efforts of this long-standing reputable theatre
company both on and off the stage. Well done on stepping out of your comfort zone and
attempting something different, which is what Theatre is all about.

PLEASE NOTE: Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance
in question. The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that
his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.
The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in
particular the performance viewed. It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be
objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed. Any criticisms expressed
may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in
Amateur Theatre.
It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged
you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove
helpful in improving future productions.

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