The Curious Show I Was Excited To See Again! šā¤ļøšš¶šµļøāāļø
Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today I will be talking about my review of The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Nighttime, which I saw the matinee performance on 14th October 2026 at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham!Ā
As stated on the official website page, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:
āChris Boone is gifted with a brilliant mind for numbers but unsettled by the unpredictability of people and everyday life. When a neighbours dog is discovered killed, she finds herself under suspicion. Determined to prove her innocence, Chris becomes both detective and suspect, drawn into a mystery that grows darker and more complex with every clue she uncovers.
What begins as a search for a culprit soon reveals secrets closer to home, firing her to confront truths that will test her courage, her family and her understanding of trust, independence, and the wider world.ā
In this performance, the role of Chris Boone was played by Imi Price. I know some people may wonder why they changed this role from a boy into a girl, but its roles like Christopher where you can gender swap it. I think she brought a lot of life and energy to this character, making her special interests of math's, stars and her ending speech on how she solved a specific question on her math's test and get herself an A*. As an autistic person myself, itās great to see that authentic representation on stage (as she is also autistic in real life), and as the original play was to help awareness for autism in boys getting diagnosed, I hope that her interpretation of Chris will help more women and girls get diagnosed (as now it takes longer for women and girls to get diagnosed with autism). There were also moments where I relate to Chris in the sense of the traits I also represent, and thatās needing full detail of āvery good friendsā (even if itās too vulgar), needing to know how long to be quiet for, not being touched, and getting overstimulated in certain situations which can lead to a meltdown if not careful. I also liked how during the play she took on board the role of director of her story, and how they stopped at each moment to correct the actors, as if it was a live on stage rehearsal. I donāt think I remember seeing this when I watched the original play back in 2015, so it was a nice element to add into this reimagined version of the iconic murder mystery.Ā
The role of Siobhan, Chrisā tutor, was taken on by Bridgette Amofuh. Her energy, positive outlook and care for Chris really shone through, and despite some times where her microphone was abit late coming on she really brought the role of one of Chrisā allyās to life. I also liked how she served as almost the narrator for the show, writing out what Chris said from her book she made during the show, and I also liked the ongoing joke on making the book into a play at the start of Act 2. I also loved Imi and Bridgette's on stage chemistry, and I can tell that they worked really hard on the teacher and student relationshipĀ
The roles of Chrisā parents Ed andĀ Judy Boone were played by Joe McFadden and Charlie Brooks. They each both loved Chris, but it was clear how both of them adapted to Chris and her autism. For Ed, whilst he knew that it would be challenging knowing he had to change his parenting style, I could tell that his love for Chris really showed, and his gesture to get Chris to trust him was beautiful. It reminded me of the film How To Train Your Dragon, where Hiccup uses a similar gesture to show Toothless that he could trust him. It also showed the on stage chemistry Imi and Joe had, and that even though it was one simple gesture, it was one that emotionally was very powerful.Ā I also know that Ed isnāt dangerous when he reveals the truth about Wellington, but as an autistic person, I could see why Chris got uncomfortable and didnāt feel safe, as we take things literally. Much like the original play, I also liked how Ed used a project analogy to get Chris to trust him again, and I think itās examples like this where you can get through to an autistic child to help them through trauma. Joe also did a brilliant job at showing Edās understanding of why he kept Judyās letters to Chris, and whilst it did break Chrisā heart, it also shows he was wanting to do whatās best for her.Ā For Judy, I could tell that through Charlieās performance, she equally loved Chris. This can be seen a flashback to a scene from childhood really showed that, and Charlie delivered her speech of her memory beautifully with the ensemble (and her experience on Dancing On Ice was clearly seen). But she also gave off another powerful speech of how some parents struggled with children who are autistic, and whilst that was tough, the way Charlie delivered it was on point, powerful and itās a reminder of how yes you need to approach things maybe differently, but you would do anything to help your child grow and help them be safe.Ā
This show also improved how the ensemble were just as important as the leads, as they not only took on multiple roles for this story, but the movement sequences they did were flawless and really gave you a visual glimpse into the world Chris endured. These included using cardboard stands to represent the houses Chris went to to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington in Act 1, the multiple balls to represent different shops and important things in Act 2, and the skipping rope to represent the tram coming and going (where everyone was brilliant on their timings for jumping over it, as itās things like this that may look easy but is actually a lot harder than expected). I also liked the ending when Chris explained the question that got her the A* on her A-level math's exam, and I can tell they worked really hard to get it that precise. Iāll let anyone who watched the show tell me after reading this what it is, or for those who have yet to have seen it, youāll need to watch what it is, but letās just say that the certain activity that they did was a lot harder than expected. All of these events are examples of how making creative choices can have a real impact to those watching! For the purposes of this blog, Iāll be focusing on one or two characters they played, and Iāll let anyone reading this see for themselves the other characters they played.Ā
One of them was Matthew Bulgo, who played a Duty sergeant,Ā Roger (Mr Shears who Judy had an affair with), Duty Sergeant, Mr Wise, man behind counter andĀ Drunk one. For Roger, he had a humour in the sense that understandably felt uneasy with Judy letting Chris stay, but accepted for her sake. But he was also an example of how he maybe doesnāt understand autistic people when Chris pointed out the things Roger got for her, which was an unsettling watch. But Matthew really brought a sense of aggression to it (in a good way though), really hammering home the people who are uneducated on the topic of autism.Ā
Another actor who played multiple roles was Tom Clegg. He took on the roles of Reverend peters,Ā Uncle Terry, aĀ Station policeman in Act 2 and was one of theĀ Puppeteers for Toby the rat. For his role as Reverend Peters, he was very passionate about his faith, and he managed to help Chris settle when she took her A-levels in math's. For the station policeman in Act 2, he was very much open to helping her get home and safe, but soon helped her get to London. But at least he did it with an open mind, and like Mrs Alexander, even though he may not understand autism, he was still there to help calm her down.Ā
Jerone Marsh Reid took on the roles of Mr Thompson,Ā Man with socks, London policeman, and a passenger on the London tram. For me, my stand out moment for me was in Act 2 when his character helped Chris to get Toby from the tram stop. He somehow managed to make this worried and annoyed character very entertaining, even though it would be stressful keeping someone safe from the tram coming. I also liked how much of an exceptional mover he was, particularly during the flashback scene with Chris and her mum, and also theĀ transitions of the different things youād see in London. He was someone you definitely need to watch out for!Ā
The two main roles that ensemble member Alex Murdoch played wereĀ Mrs Shears and Mrs Alexander, both of which had an impact on Chris for different reasons. For Mrs Shears, I could tell how much she cared for Wellington, and took out her anger on people like Chris. I could also tell like the previous production why she was angry at Ed. For Mrs Alexander, sheās an example of how the kindness of strangers can go a long way, but equally respected Chrisā boundaries about his view on strangers. Alex really did her homework for this character, showing that whilst Mrs Alexander may not understand autism, sheās a very open minded person, which is what we need of more in the world.Ā
Sera Mustafa as Mrs Gascogne (Chrisā head teacher),Ā Woman on train,Ā Shopkeeper, and aĀ Police officer. Like many of the others, she had wonderful transitions and different traits for her roles. The main one that was Mrs Gascogne, she definitely brought whit and humour. But I could tell that she still cared deeply for Chris, and knowing her potential, we all need a teacher like her when she allowed Chris to sit her A-Levels.Ā
Carla Garrett took on the roles ofĀ Punk girl, No. 40, and information. For every role she brought, she had sass, she had different objectives and the commitment she gave like everyone else was off the scale! I also feel as well she gave us a glimpse on how punks arenāt ābad peopleā shall we say, but use the theme of punk as a style to express themselves, which I love!Ā
Finally, Robert Penny as station guard and Puppeteer. I liked how he varied from an anxious person to the authority of the station guard, also showing the challenge of switching from lower status to higher status characters with ease. He also showed amazing puppetry skills, with him partly doing Toby the Rat, and Chrisā new dog Billy at the end of the show. What I will say is that Robert did a brilliant job of bringing life to the puppets, and his skills made me want to befriend Billy!Ā
Now I may not remember much from the original play I saw back in 2015, but there was a few things I seemed to pick up on a few differences. One of them was the set, as when I saw the production back in 2015, we saw the dog Wellington dead on stage, whereas in this one, thereās a picture of Wellington in front of the curtain. Another difference was that thankfully unlike the production I saw back in 2015, there was no immediate start when the music came on (as I remembered that it made me jump as it was unexpected), whereas it started by the picture going up and Siobhan making an appearance to introduce the play. This was a very nice element to add, as for autistic people like me, itās a less overwhelming way to open the show. The final difference in order was that the dog Ed gives Chris in the show was in the form of a Puppet and not a real dog, changing the name from Sandy to Billy. It was a shame as the last time I saw it adding a real dog into the show as a beautiful touch, but at the same time each production is different, as they maybe they werenāt able to afford a real life puppy, or puppies being puppies they may cause terror on stage. But Robert Penny who controlled the puppet dog did a good job of bringing Billy to life (and I think he and my dog Margo would be really good friends)!Ā
I donāt think I do have any downsides to the show itself, as everyone did a great job of bringing a new version of this show to life. I thought that the many students of different schools would overreact at inappropriate times, but surprisingly they were on their best behaviour, really taking it in and reacting at the most appropriate time (such as who really killed Wellington). This shows that whilst some of them may went so that the don't have to go to school (which is fair enough lol!), it also shows that some of them decided to go for a reason. I think the only thing that let me down was a few people leaving their phones on, which did ruin some moments of quiet. I donāt know whether the actors heard it or not, but Iām glad that everyone knew how to deal with disturbances like this.Ā
Overall I would give the show a full house of 5 out of 5. It was moving, powerful, and intense. I also feel itāll make a real difference for girls in particular who need an autism diagnosis, and fingers crossed itās shows like this thatāll help the waiting list in autism diagnosis for women and girls go down!Ā
And that is for my thoughts of this new take on the classic murder mystery.Ā Let me know if youāve seen the show or when youāre going to see it if you havenāt already, and click the link below to find out where itās going next.
Also click on the link below for a mini vlog of when I went to see it myself.Ā
See you soon for another blog. Until next timeā¦
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)Ā
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