The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Theatre Royal Brighton

until Saturday 3rd October

Stepping into Chris Boone’s world is an elevating, curious and fascinating experience.

Mark Haddon’s award winning book The curious incident of the dog in the night-time soon became a best seller and has been part of school curriculums for twenty years. It became a West End play produced by the National Theatre in 2012 winning 7 Olivier awards then toured the country. Now in 2026-7 a new production starring Charlie Brooks and Joe McFadden follows in its stead.

The beauty of Haddon’s story and subsequently Simon Stephens’ adaptation, is the way the audience gains a clear insight and understanding of a neuro diverse teenager navigating the world around them. The original play saw Christopher Boone living with his single parent Mother, whereas this latest version sees a female Chris living with her exasperated father. Does the gender swapping work? To be honest, it made no difference to the story, and it gave an interesting perspective.

Chris Boone is highly functioning and intelligent (particularly in Maths) teenager, however she has limitations that affect her life and makes it difficult to communicate with those around her. For example. she doesn’t like yellow, she takes what is said literally and definitely does NOT like being touched. When her neighbours dog Wellington is murdered, she gathers her courage and decides to investigate. This leads her down the path of many discoveries and social interactions that she is not prepared for.

Alex Keenan plays Chris, and considering this is her professional debut she is a tour de force in this incredibly demanding role. Onstage for the vast majority of the play not once did her character slip. Her parents are played by Joe McFadden (interview here) and Charlie Brooks, whose characters slowly build and strengthen, particularly in Act 2. Chris has a wonderful rapport with her case worker Siobhan played by Bridgette Amofah who helps her narrate this ‘play within a play’. The rest of the ensemble are used effectively with a lot of physicality and symbolism demonstrating how Chris’ mind works.

Besides the gender swap, the biggest difference between this and the original production is the simplicity of Eleanor Bull’s staging. The stage is swathed in pink (a nod to Chris) and apart for a wheel-on-and-off sofa, most of the staging was created by moving pink blocks around to create scenery and a huge raised step at the back. Digital projections are used to great effect. Unfortunately some of the floor work was not visible to those in the stalls which was a shame.

I truly believe this story will never get old and I have definitely been inspired to reach for the book once more. Chris Boone is an inspiration and as she announces at the end of the play that she ‘can do anything’, you truly believe that she can and are routing for her all the way.

Reviewer: Sammi O’Neill

⭐⭐⭐

Tickets were gifted for this production in exchange for this review.

Tickets

Reviewer: Sammi O’Neill

Cast

Alex Keenan as Chris
Imi Price as alternative Chris
Charlie Brooks as ‘Judy’.
Joe McFadden as‘Ed’ and

Bridgette Amofah as ‘Siobhan’;
Alex Murdoch as ‘Mrs Alexander’ / ‘Mrs Shears’ and others
Matthew Bulgo as ‘Roger Shears’ and others
Jerone Marsh Reid as ‘Mr Thompson and others
Carla Garratt
Tom Clegg
Robert Penny
Sera Mustafa all perform as ‘Ensemble’.