The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Theatre Royal, Nottingham Review
What begins with the mysterious death of a neighbour’s dog becomes an extraordinary journey into the mind of Chris Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal this week.
Based on Mark Haddon’s hugely successful 2003 novel, this production follows 15-year-old Chris, whose exceptional ability with numbers and logic contrasts sharply with the difficulties she faces navigating everyday life.
When Wellington the dog is found dead, Chris sets out to find out what happened. But what begins as a detective story soon develops into a much more personal journey involving family secrets, trust, independence and the challenge of making sense of a world that can often feel overwhelming.
Chris sees life differently from everyone around her, finding normal social interactions, unexpected noises and unfamiliar situations difficult to process. The result is a story that asks us to look beyond our own assumptions and try to experience the world from her perspective.
This is where the stage production really comes into its own. Using inventive lighting, sound, projections, movement and staging, it draws the audience into Chris’s world, conveying the way she experiences the people and situations around her. Everyday events can become confusing, unexpected changes unsettling, and human behaviour far harder to understand than even the most complicated mathematical problem.
There is humour, though, much of it arising from Chris’s wonderfully literal interpretation of the world and the difference between how she sees a situation and how others understand it. But there is also a lot more emotional depth than I had expected.
It takes a little while for the production to find its stride, but once it does, it becomes utterly compelling.
The performances are central to its success. Charlie Brooks, best known for playing Janine Butcher in EastEnders, is excellent as Judy, while Joe McFadden, of Heartbeat and Strictly Come Dancing fame, brings real depth to the role of Chris’s father, Ed. Both give convincing performances as parents struggling with their own emotions whilst trying to understand and support their daughter.
But it is Alex Keenan as Chris who really steals the show. For an actor making her professional debut after graduating from LAMDA, this is a remarkable achievement.
The central role requires Keenan to carry the whole story at the same time as conveying Chris’s intelligence, vulnerability, determination and special way of seeing the world. She delivers a captivating performance, making Chris a character you can’t help but root for.
Adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Ned Bennett, the production features an imaginative design incorporating lighting, sound, video, movement and puppetry. These elements do far more than provide visual spectacle; they help the audience experience something of Chris’s inner world and the intensity of situations that other people might take for granted.
More importantly, the production genuinely made me think differently about the challenges faced by autistic and neurodivergent people. Rather than simply telling us about those experiences, it gives us an opportunity to see the world from another perspective. It’s a powerful reminder that behaviour we might find puzzling can have a very different explanation when we begin to understand what someone else is experiencing.
Beneath the mystery and technical wizardry, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is ultimately a story about trying to understand one another. It challenges us to consider how easily we judge what we don’t understand, and how different the world can look when we take the time to see it through someone else’s eyes.
The clever finale provides a particularly brilliant finishing touch. The maths puzzle is an inspired moment, perfectly reflecting Chris’s remarkable mind and leaving the audience with something memorable to take away.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 17 October 2026.
★ ★★ ★
Written by Bella for Theatre and Tonic, October 2026.