Birmingham Hippodrome presents ‘Curious incident of the dog in the night time’

Usually, when a favourite book is adapted for film or stage it’s something of a disappointment, but the National Theatre encapsulated everything that is poignant, charming and heart-warming about the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

It’s a story exploring identity and emotional trauma but also one of love and laughter. It’s unsurprising that this production won seven Olivier Awards in 2013, because it is truly spellbinding. After its huge success in the West End, the production is now touring the country. I was lucky enough to catch it at the Birmingham Hippodrome last week and spoke to Joshua Jenkins who plays the lead, Christopher. I asked him how the National Theatre brings something new to Mark Haddon’s story and he believes “at its core The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a beautiful play about family, difference and coming of age. Things we can all relate too, [the show] combines the simplicity of story-telling with the production values of a big West End show and it makes for a really exciting mix. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before”.

The show tells the story of Christopher Boone, who is 15 years old. He stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog, which has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain, and is exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road and detests being touched, distrusting strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

whether you’re 9 or ninety, you are guaranteed to fall in love with this production

Perhaps the most wonderful element of this adaptation was how beautifully Joshua portrayed a character whom it is heavily implied suffers from autism. Joshua told me how it was something he was incredibly wary of during rehearsals, so decided to make sure he did as much research into it as possible. He told me how he covered all bases, from visiting an autism specialist school in North London to watching documentaries and reading books on the matter. However, Joshua stressed how this is “not a play about autism, it’s a play about family and difference”.

The show was more than just a production, the stage came to life. Despite the set being minimalist, Joshua described how lighting, projections, sound and movement were used to express how overwhelming and confusing Christopher finds the world, “you literally see and hear how extreme life is for Christopher which allows the audience to be a part of his journey.” It is amazing how simplistic yet versatile the digital screen which covered the back, left and right sides of the stage proved to be. One minute Christopher was drawing faces on them and the next they depicted the London underground. They brought to life every aspect of the production from Christopher’s inner-most worries to the hustle and bustle of London.

The entire cast had incredibly physically demanding roles, Joshua explained how “getting into shape and learning the physical routines” for the show were definitely the most challenging part of preparing for the show. The ensemble all took part in an hour of “boot camp” every morning which consisted of sit ups, press ups, running, boxing and skipping. That was just to get in shape, then the rest of the morning was spent working on the physical sections of the play. Joshua described it as “a gruelling process”. The cast’s hard work definitely paid off; I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t stop watching. I cannot encourage people enough to see this show. Whether you’ve read the book or you haven’t, whether you’re 9 or ninety, you are guaranteed to fall in love with this production.