‘Curious Incident’ is best drama in years

PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON: Alex Sharp is brilliant in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
Written by Simon Stephens
Based on the novel by Mark Haddon
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Barrymore Theatre
248 W. 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.curiousonbroadway.com

 By Scott Harrah

Over the past decade, there have been very few truly great stage dramas. The History Boys, August: Osage County and now, direct from the United Kingdom, add The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to the preeminent list.

This explosive story demonstrates that great original theater— the type that overwhelms the senses and restores one’s faith in quality, live entertainment that actually says something— is definitely possible. Based on Mark Haddon’s eponymous 2003 bestseller, the story starts out with a proverbial bang and, for the most part, never lets up. Christopher Boone (the outstanding Alex Sharp) is a troubled 15-year-old in suburban England. As the play opens, we see that a big, furry dog named Wellington has been brutally murdered with a pitchfork. Christopher desperately tells the dog’s owner, Mrs. Shears (Mercedes Herrero) that he didn’t kill Wellington, but she still calls the police.

What follows is a series of disturbing events, all of which take the audience on a theatrical roller-coaster ride. Everything is shown from the perspective of this scared young lad, moving from an English garden to a train station to fast-paced London. The boy is determined to find the dog’s killer, but this proves to be no simple task because Christopher isn’t your average teen. Although it is never clarified, he has all the signs of Asberger’s syndrome or autism, for he has trouble communicating, screams if anyone touches him, but yet he is a genius at mathematics.

The Curious Incident is a rare blend of traditional and experimental theatrics and high-tech special effects, adapted by Simon Stephens, along with painstaking direction by Marianne Elliott (War Horse), and innovative scenic and costume design by Bunny Christie, lighting design by Paule Constable and video design by Finn Ross. Yes, the scenic and technical designers are as much the stars of the show as the actors because we are treated to a visual feast of everything from starry skies and geometric patterns to a pulse-churning scene on the rails of a London Underground station, using projections, eerie music and lighting on an ever-evolving set.

Gimmicky? Not really, because all the technical wizardry gels beautifully with the storyline, fleshed out by 15 actors, some playing multiple roles. Because the lead is so demanding, Taylor Trensch plays Christopher at certain performances.

Beneath the flashy phantasmagoria before us is a solid narrative, with a cast giving their all, for at its core, The Curious Incident is a story about a boy’s rocky relationship with his complicated parents. Of particular note are Ian Barford as Christopher’s caring father, Ed; Francesca Faridany as his bighearted teacher, Siobhan; and Helen Carey as the kind, elderly neighbor lady that offers him cake and orangeade and tries to be his friend.

Perhaps there’s a little bit of Christopher Boone in all of us: Facing life’s daily battles, having to be brave, uncertain of what lies ahead. It is the ingenious depiction of these very human emotions that makes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time so heartbreakingly real, touching and exhilarating, and unlike any drama Broadway has seen (or will likely see) in many years.

AN ILLUMINATING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE: (left to right): Helen Carey, Mercedes Herrero, Alex Sharp (kneeling), Richard Hollis, David Manis & Ben Horner in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

FLYING HIGH: (left to right) Mercedes Herrero, Alex Sharp (above), Richard Hollis & Jocelyn Bioh. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 10, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on October 9, 2014