Review – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Woking Theatre and National Tour

Some plays come around again and again… this one, by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens returns once more, but with a new spin on the leading role. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tells the story of Chris, struggling with autism and some tense family drama all in one go. This new version of the play sees Chris played by a female performer and bringing a whole new insight to the character.

Research shows that autism in girls can affect them differently to boys. Instead of lashing out like Christopher may have done in other iterations of the play, for the female Chris on the current UK tour these moments are a lot more internal.

Alex Keenan makes a corker of a professional stage debut in the role of Chris Boone. Keenan is eye-catching for the entire performance and her own take and portrayal of this beloved character is bound to be on every single audience member’s mind for days after seeing it! Keenan’s Chris is a delight to watch and gives a great insight into the struggles that a young girl with autism might face whilst dealing with some very tense and traumatic times at home.

TV star Charlie Brooks plays Judy Boone, Chris’ mum. If you don’t know the story of the play, Judy really struggles to understand Chris’ autism and explains as such in a letter to her. This scene between Brooks and Keenan breaks my heart towards the end of Act One. I have often times struggled to like the character of Judy in this moment – my total empathy directed at Chris – but Brooks tugs on my heartstrings unlike any performer I have seen do this before. I will admit, as I leave the auditorium at the interval with tears in my eyes and I am sure many, many others are doing so too. In Act Two, Brooks plays an empowered Judy who only wants what is best for her daughter and it is a delight to see this character arc played by such an experienced performer.

Another standout is Holby City star Joe McFadden as Chris’ father, Ed Boone. Ed is another character who has such an arc through the show, he stays strong for Chris, has moments of despair and anger but all in all wants to be with his daughter. McFadden finds the sweet balance of all of these things in his portrayal of Ed and it is a delight watching him. The phrase ‘with bated breath’ comes to mind, because I truly am hanging on McFadden’s every word.

I would also like to mention Chris’ main support throughout the show, Siobhan, her teacher played by Bridgette Amofah. Amofah brings to the stage someone who has Chris’ best interests throughout the play, giving her advice but also suggesting she listens to her father. The perfect diplomatic character. She sees and understands Chris, but also realises that she can’t do a great deal outside of the school to help – Amofah does this with brilliance.

The cast is made up of talented performers who bring the play to life with comedic character roles throughout, each one has a starring moment but if I go into detail, you’d never get to the end of this review! At first, I did think the design of the set was a bit simplistic and another video projection cop-out. However, as the show progresses I really come to enjoy the projections which help give us an insight into Chris’ mind. This proves that first impressions aren’t always correct because I leave the theatre thinking that this is a genius way to design a show that can help us see through Chris’ eyes.

Directed by Ned Bennett, I think this is a relevant and important piece for today’s world. In 2026, a female Chris and a stage set to show the world in the shoes of a 15-year-old autistic girl is truly something everybody should be seeing – and it is great to see what seems to be quite a full audience on a Tuesday evening too.

****   Four Stars