The National Theatre’s multi award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by Stockport born Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s best-selling book, returns to The Lowry to complete its year-long tour, which started its life in Salford last Christmas.
Director Marianne Elliott, who co-directed War Horse which played twice at The Lowry, was brought up in Manchester and is delighted that her production is returning to the North West, following a sell-out run last year which won the show the prestigious Manchester Theatre Award for ‘Best Visiting Production’.
The show tells the story of Christopher Boone, who is fifteen years old. He stands besides 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, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.
The central role of Christopher is played by Joshua Jenkins with Geraldine Alexander as his teacher Siobhan, Roberta Kerr as Mrs Alexander, Stuart Laing as his father Ed, Gina Isaacs as Judy and Clare Perkins as Mrs Shears.
The cast is completed by Chris Ashby (alternate Christopher), Emmanuella Cole (Punk Girl), Edward Grace (Mr Thompson), Lucas Hare (Roger Shears), John McAndrew (Reverend Peters) with Kieran Garland, Ann Marcuson, Paul Sockett and Jessica Williams in the ensemble.
Stockport-born playwright Simon Stephens said about adapting Haddon’s novel for the stage:
“The adaptation was a really joyful experience. I knew two things in adapting the play. I knew that the key to it was the relationship between Christopher and his teacher. Although it’s not that central in the novel, what struck me was that everybody in life has a favourite teacher. Even people who hated school, even people who found school a miserable experience, had one teacher who they loved more than others and thought got them in a way that other teachers didn’t. I knew that if I could get that relationship right, then we could create an evening in the theatre that people could recognize themselves in.
The other thing that I knew was that Marianne Elliott had to direct it. I think she’s a visionary director, I think she’s a director of extraordinary imagination, but she’s also a very democratic director. This can’t be a piece of theatre that alienates people. It has to be a piece of theatre that you can come to if you’re 10 years old or if you’re 90 years old. It needs to appeal to people that have very high art taste in theatre, but also it’s got to be a family night out, and I thought that Marianne could release that really beautifully and really perfectly. Everybody working on it, the entire creative team, were united in wanting to tell Christopher’s story as honestly and properly as possible.”
Listings Information
The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time
Tue 17 November – Sat 21 November
Times: 7:30pm, 2pm Wed, Thu & Sat
Tickets: £16.00 – £44.00, includes £2 booking fee
Lyric Theatre
