It is a National Theatre production which has proved to be a runaway success. It moved out of Southbank and into the West End. Its title references a tormented animal, it has a happy ending, and it appeals to both children and adults.Asked to name such a play, many would unhesitatingly reply “War Horse.” Others might pause for thought and consider another which is now entering its fifth year in London with a new cast. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” has evolved a little from the original version which we enjoyed at the Cottesloe Theatre in August 2012. Written by Simon Stephens based on Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel, it went on to Broadway and has won seven Olivier awards and five Tony awards, including Best Play. Its new cast is settling in well as the play continues at the Gielgud Theatre after a period at the Apollo, where part of the roof collapsed during one performance.As a whole, the show is thoroughly entertaining. It is currently booking through February 18, 2017.What has kept this play going from the start is that it consistently cuts to the chase by its technique of narrative. A teacher reads from a diary to keep the plot moving at a fast pace onto the next joke or piece of dramatic tension.The dog of the title, Wellington, appears only briefly, speared by a garden fork. As compensation for animal lovers, a very lively and cute puppy pops up later, amid a joke about not working with animals. The tail-wagging pup upstages everyone during his short performance.Joseph Ayre does a fine job portraying Christopher, an eccentric 15-year-old who hates the color yellow, being touched, and speaking to strangers. He loves the color red, his pet rat Toby, playing computer games, and mathematics. Putting him at the center of the action is a bold move. His behavioral quirks are apparently down to some kind of unspecified autism. He has a photographic memory for numbers and dates, and is completely sure that he will get top marks in his exams, which he duly does. Christopher also has a nagging self-doubt which makes his relations with nearly everyone amusingly fumbled. He ends up only just avoiding the caricature of the math genius, and wins us over with his naïvely inept detective work, knocking on neighbors’ doors to bluntly ask them who killed Wellington.Christopher towers over his father Ed, played by Nicolas Tennant. Their scenes are nicely handled and given time to breathe as the father tries, unsuccessfully for the most part, to bond with his son. “You can trust me,” says dad, “I love you.” Son says nothing, having already discovered that his father has been untruthful — and going on to find an even worse confession.Like “War Horse,” the play comes close to sentimentality but just avoids this with little touches, such as the moment when Christopher thinks that he has found the most likely dog-killing culprit, and a huge neon sign saying “Prime Suspect” pops up just for a second.There are a lot of themes packed in here, perhaps too many. It is about the inhumanity of cities. It is a detective story with hints of Sherlock Holmes. It is about family relationships. It covers autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, with echoes of “Rain Man.” There are also mathematical puzzles — do not rush out after the encores, because Christopher comes back to solve a puzzle posed earlier. This is delivered with back projections in true “A Beautiful Mind” style, with confetti raining down on the audience.
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