An autistic teenage girl investigates a murder...
Based on the award-winning, multi-million selling 2003 novel by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is billed as “this century’s most popular murder mystery”, winning 7 Olivier Awards during its premiere run in 2012.
This fresh interpretation by director Ned Bennet gives the story a new perspective, gender-swapping the play’s protagonist. Christopher becomes Chris, an autistic teenage girl who begins ‘detective work’ to investigate the murder of her neighbour’s dog.
This swap was not a casual move from the creative team, who wanted to tell this well-loved story through a female autistic lens. Working alongside Dr Sarah Jane Nuttall, a post-doctorate researcher in autism in women and girls, the writer and director made specific changes to reflect the differences in how autism presents in boys and girls. This, alongside the decision to cast women with lived experience of neurodivergence, leads to a performance that feels authentic and fully rounded.
In her professional debut and the woman to take on the role, Alex Keenan’s captivating performance brings this authenticity and heart to Chris, showcasing the character as a passionate and endearing individual. While Chris’s movements and mannerisms may be considered stereotypically autistic, she never once strays into caricature.
As the story unfolds as a play within a play, narrated by Chris’s teacher from her own account of the mystery, the audience is drawn in by Keenan to feel what Chris is feeling – both her distress and her delight. As she navigates the shifting world around her, Keenan’s portrayal remains genuine and heartfelt.
Bridgette Amofah as Chris’s teacher Siobhan is a comforting and stabilising figure, appearing frequently to offer guidance, whether real or imagined. While other adults in Chris’s life - her father Ed (Joe McFadden), mother Judy (Charlie Brooks) and various neighbours - appear to frequently not know what to do with her, Amofah plays Siohhan with warmth and patience.
The quickly moving ensemble switches seamlessly between different background characters, making scenes feel bustling and fully populated. Alex Murdoch is particularly memorable as both the hysterical Mrs Shears and fretful Mrs Alexander, while the rest of the supporting cast add moments of levity to the story.
The minimal staging is imaginative and effective, utilising simple shapes, projections and swiftly moving set pieces. As well as portraying physical locations, cleverly evoking suburban streets, crowded London tube platforms and family homes, it’s also used to demonstrate the sensory overload Chris experiences, instilling the feeling of chaos and a loss of control.
Fans of the book and the original theatre run will find something fresh in this new interpretation of the popular story, which is keenly felt and cleverly staged – make sure you stay for the A Level maths paper explanation, it’s more worth it than it sounds!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time plays at Nottingham's Theatre Royal until Saturday 17 October 2026.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
