This weekend I was lucky enough to go to the Gieguld to see this. It was a remarkable piece of theatre. I have read the book and so I knew many of the major plot points, but my husband hadn’t and we both enjoyed the play.
The acting was superb, the portrayal of Christopher sympathetic to aspergers whilst managing to avoid bringing out only those elements which would have made the character become a caricature. The story itself stuck fairly faithfully to the events in the book. The set is minimalist the ensemble take on a number of roles and are on stage for much of the time. The use of people and the few crates is innovative and there are lots of hide holes around the walls of the stage and under the floor.
The use of lighting and music is also creative. The scenes where Christopher is frightened in the outside world succeed in immersing the audience in the action. As Christopher feels scared and claustrophobic then so do the audience, this is down to the electronic tones of the music, the building wall of noises and the frantic lighting effects on the digital wall at the back of the stage.
The scenes with Christopher’s parents are well played and highlight the frustrations they and Christopher experience. The story is a simple one which I won’t spoil for those who haven’t seen it but it is the nature of the characters that bring the drama to life. It does in the end have a feel good ending depending on your interoperation of the final lines of the play! Curious incident is immersive in the way it is staged, well acted and I would recommend it to those that are looking for something out of the ordinary. It isn’t Shakespeare or a musical but a serious piece of drama that will make you think. Well worth seeing.
