CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME: THEATRE ON CHESTER

Creative projections devised to give visible form to the world of the play reveal to the audience what we imagine are Christopher’s experiences—imbued with a child-like naïveté and yet reflecting the singular capacities of his brilliant mind. I was most captivated by the stars, planets, and the London Underground train sequences, which seemed to symbolize his attempts to escape the overwhelming and often unknowable world he grapples with at the heart of the play.

This play has so much heart. At times, audible gasps and many care-filled chuckles from the audience warmly embraced the characters. My guest leaned over to share how torn she felt about Christopher’s dad, convincingly portrayed by Justin Corcoran.

At the centre of this heart is Christopher himself, magnificently portrayed by the young star of the piece, Jordan Andrews. Jordan’s portrayal captured the tightly wound emotions and a broad range of Autism Spectrum Disorder traits seemingly effortlessly. His meticulous research into living with ASD was evident in every gesture, head tilt, and focused interaction with others.

The creative use of the ensemble—a group of six versatile actors performing a variety of voice roles—also added dimensionality to the space, using their bodies to represent objects required in the storytelling. This directorial choice worked seamlessly with masterful projections (courtesy of Matt Kizer) and the significant sound design by Matt Friedman (from thecuriousincident.show) to locate each scene: at home, outdoors under stars and planets that engage Christopher’s curious mind, and in moments of sleepless wandering. Each actor emerged on stage as a voice, companion, the chaotic ‘traffic’ of daily life, and casual heroes—neighbours both known and unknown—each playing a vital part in Christopher’s memory play.

The audience was powerfully engrossed in the narrative, initially somewhat distanced through the narration of Christopher’s ‘book’ read aloud by his ever-patient teacher Siobhan. But it soon became clear we could follow along without fear of any singular outcome. I felt the same trepidation as Christopher as he navigated the streets of London, and I think we all held our breath when he searched for his companion rat.

Christopher begins his journey as a detective, inviting us to join him in connecting the dots. Under the encouragement and dynamic direction of Sam McGowan, we virtually see the incident board manifest before us. I loved her seamless weaving of the ensemble between shifts in time and place. In every moment, we knew who was who by the simple addition or removal of a jacket or piece of cloth and the set piece inventively and resourcefully manoeuvred. I admit I did not catch this sleight of hand in every actor’s clever capacity to transform when required. It was a marvelous production all around.

Everyone involved with Theatre on Chester should be very proud. I joined a full house last evening, well into the run, but I encourage everyone to see for themselves this extraordinary production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.