Review - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - People's Theatre

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

People's Theatre

9th June, 2026

This play by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon is something of a revelation. I have tried several times to read the book and have not got past the first few pages. I always felt something of a failure for not being able to appreciate a book that everyone else seemed to be raving about. So it was with mixed feelings I took my seat in the auditorium. 

The scene that greeted us was intriguing...maths equations adorned large blackboards on either side of the stage and glowed from a screen at the back. Another source of concern for me - maths was never my strong suit (I have a glorious "unclassified O-Level, for those of you old enough to know what O-levels are/were). And a dead dog lay front and centre, impaled with a garden fork (obviously not an actual dead dog, just a prop - no dogs - or later rats - were harmed in the making of this production!) - the dead dog of the title. This being the People's Theatre,  I was pretty certain, despite my misgivings about the book and maths, that though whatever was coming might be challenging, it would also certainly be interesting and entertaining. 

 

 I don't want to give away any spoilers for anyone who, like me, has not read the book, and doesn't know who killed Wellington (the dead dog) so I am going to concentrate on the characters and actors rather than the plot. Firstly Zachary Douglas creates a character in Christopher who is completely credible and endearing. - a young man  negotiating his way through a world that doesn't really understand him, using numbers, and facts, and truth, as his touchstones.  His forthright observations on people are brutally honest and this creates unexpected humour in the play.

Alison Carr brings the practical and empathetic teacher Siobhan to life, providing the stable, matter of fact grounding for Christopher, her presence becomes one of his touchstones, she providing the support and constancy he needs, especially when things begin to unravel for him. She is the voice of reason. 

Sean Burnside plays Christopher's father, Ed. A man who loves his son, but is struggling to cope with his special needs while also dealing with his own demons and the anger and frustration and guilt that they bring. He swerves from calm, loving patience to volatile anger, and back again, almost losing everything when he loses Christopher's trust. 

Alongside Burnside's father figure we have Christopher's mother, Judy - played by Sarah Jo Harrison. Another volatile character she appears first as a memory from Christopher's childhood, happy and full of life, but with a strange sadness. Through letters we learn of her feelings of inadequacy as a mother as she compares her relationship with Christopher to that with his father. There is clearly a bond between father and son that she felt excluded from, which makes the loss of trust that Christopher experiences all the more poignant. But we see that there was also a bond with his mother that he was unable to express at the time.

And finally there is the ensemble who weave in and out of the story, creating the subsidiary characters, the neighbours, the policemen, the public. They stand to attention in the background, or drift into the flow of the story as needed, shedding light and sometimes doubt on the proceedings. 

This is a play about complex emotions, difficult situations, about individual needs and family ties. It's about trust, and truth and betrayal. But it is also about love, and healing and individuality. 

It s beautifully and cleverly staged - incorporating light and music - with movement and sound that is sometime soft and almost balletic, and other times harsh and jarring, mirroring the emotions and events that take place. 

Intense, inspiring and emotional, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is cleverly staged, and beautifully performed. Well worth seeing. 

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk