The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

The programme notes told us that this was the first straight play that this company has performed and they should be proud of their achievements. Clive Dancey gave the audience a startling first image of the dog impaled by a garden fork and mathematical formulae written on the floor. Most of the action took place on the floor and the cast used the space well. There were some clever moments of physical theatre as the ensemble became the boiler cupboard/rocket and closed in on Christopher as his thoughts became tangled. At times I found some of the cross overs detracted from the action rather than added to it.

The use of the on stage screen helped us to follow the different locations but it meant that the two acting areas were pushed to the edges, it was difficult to see stage left from my seat without completely turning round.

Alfie Bennett as Christopher was excellent. He was absolutely believable in his awkwardness and confusion. He avoided eye contact at all times, maintained physical and verbal stimming and managed to look uncomfortable in his body. He was rarely off stage and had so many lines to learn. Jessica Woodland’s Siobhan was a lovely calm contrast. She was warm and kind and seemed to anchor Christopher when needed. We were convinced she had her words in front of her as she read from the book, but no, another actor who had pages to learn. Ed, played by Barney Shergold, was trying to do his best for his son but was aware of his failings, particularly his temper. Unfortunately his confession was so understated that we almost missed it. Alison Downes showed us Judy’s disappointment with life but also that she wanted to be a better Mum and eventually finding the strength to go it alone.

The members of the ensemble were a good support team. I particularly liked Adam Lipinsky as the police officer and Mary Goodfellow’s concerned neighbour. Zara Stuart managed to be an amusing stall holder, a hurting rejected wife and a thoughtful headteacher. There is quite a lot of swearing in the script and there were moments when I thought the cast were enjoying using the language a bit too much.

There was no set as such, just furniture and the screen. Furniture was moved by the cast which worked well. The acting areas on the stage could have been changed more to show the 2 houses, just changing the duvet cover wasn’t enough for me. The addition of jackets/ hats and personal props worked well to change the characters of the ensemble but some costume choices were not flattering.

The projections were used well to help us follow the changes of location and the sound effects helped us understand Christopher’s confusion and anxiety. The use of the spotlight to highlight the headteacher’s responses was clever.

This is a challenging play for the audience but can also be an educational one and the Thalians used this opportunity to tell us more about neurodiversity by displaying information around the hall. I spent the interval reading about famous people and how their lives are affected. The play also encourages us to think about how we respond to people we consider different.

My guest and I were warmly greeted and well looked after by Mandy Sayers, the group’s chair. I spoke to the director and chatted to Alfie about how he became Christopher. Thank you Thalians, it was a good night at the theatre.

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