Body
For its spring production the Ponca Playhouse has chosen an emotional rollercoaster in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- Time. Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, this play tells the story of a young man, Christopher Boone, who views the world very differently from most people. A brilliant teenage mathematician in Swindon, UK, Christopher struggles to interpret people and navigate social interactions, as well as some daily tasks. This may be due to a possible diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome (as described by the novel’s author, Mark Haddon), but I believe what audiences will find more compelling than that diagnosis is how closely they can relate to much of what Christopher experiences. No spoiler, the show opens with “a dead dog with a garden fork sticking out of it” and the mystery of who killed the dog, and why, becomes Christopher’s project, much to his father’s consternation. In many ways this is a normal teenage boy… he loves his pet rat, plays video games, dreams of being an astronaut… but the complexity of daily life and of people provides a constant challenge both to Christopher and to the other main characters, who all experience ups and downs as the mystery unfolds. Some moments are hard to watch, and it should be noted that quite a bit of strong language is included in the script but the end result is a deeply human and touching story. Director Sam Stuart shared with me that she hoped audiences would take away a sense everyone has dreams and value, and that nobody should ever be defined or limited by their differences. I certainly feel that comes through in the production. Ms. Stuart always delivers a powerful show and this one is no exception.
