The title The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time chosen by Mark Haddon for his hugely successful novel comes from a remark made by Sherlock Holmes to his trusty pal Watson in the story Silver Blaze. Haddon’s novel is about a fifteen year old autistic boy who takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of who murdered a neighbour’s dog. I enjoyed the book immensely at the time I read it, as did a couple of million other readers - but I can’t honestly say I raved about the novel - I just gave it a strong ‘like’. However, I absolutely loved the National Theatre production which we watched on Thursday evening at our local cinema in its NTLive strand! The show, adapted with skill and sensitivity from the Haddon book by Simon Stephens, was truly exceptional. And watching theatre of this calibre made me definitely wish I’d seen it performed live at the National. This is the one real drawback of pre-recorded or even live-screened theatre, you never quite experience that intimacy, the tangible thrill you get from actually being there - close to the actors and action. At the end of the screening, there is inevitably a certain sense of disconnection, especially on occasions like the performance we watched when the cast were given a standing ovation - you are a voyeur rather than an active participant. But I’m not complaining, it is great to see such stupendous work, even if one-step removed from it.
Everything about this production, staged in the round and directed by Marianne Elliott, deserves praise: design, lighting, movement, sound, and of course the excellent ensemble acting. Being presented in the round, it has little physical set to speak of, but believe me it really works; you will most certainly feel sympathy for the play’s fifteen year old hero as he makes his way across London, goes up escalators for the first time, is forced to enter crowded commuter trains, and you will definitely fear for his life when a tube train hurtles towards him! This really is a piece of magical theatre and deserves the praise already heaped in large quantities upon it. It was nominated in eight categories at last year’s Olivier awards and actually won in seven, including the coveted Best Actor award for its leading actor Luke Treadaway and Best New Play. This NTLive encore screening is still doing the rounds throughout May/June; the play resumes in London in June, after rain damage to the theatre forced it to close suddenly; it starts its Broadway run in September; also, a UK and Ireland tour in December.
Definitely one to catch!
Everything about this production, staged in the round and directed by Marianne Elliott, deserves praise: design, lighting, movement, sound, and of course the excellent ensemble acting. Being presented in the round, it has little physical set to speak of, but believe me it really works; you will most certainly feel sympathy for the play’s fifteen year old hero as he makes his way across London, goes up escalators for the first time, is forced to enter crowded commuter trains, and you will definitely fear for his life when a tube train hurtles towards him! This really is a piece of magical theatre and deserves the praise already heaped in large quantities upon it. It was nominated in eight categories at last year’s Olivier awards and actually won in seven, including the coveted Best Actor award for its leading actor Luke Treadaway and Best New Play. This NTLive encore screening is still doing the rounds throughout May/June; the play resumes in London in June, after rain damage to the theatre forced it to close suddenly; it starts its Broadway run in September; also, a UK and Ireland tour in December.
Definitely one to catch!
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