The Curious Incident of the... Tickets

By: based on the novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens
Director: Marianne Elliott
Cast list: David Breeds, Connor Curren, Kate Kordel, Sophie Stone, Rebecca Root, Tom Peters, Marc Benga, Jacob Coleman, Kofi De-Graft-Jordan, Ashley Gerlach, Joanne Henry, Siu-See Hung, Sibylla Meienberg, David Monteith, Joe Rawlinson-Hunt, Hannah Sinclair Robinson and Rebecca Wilson
Design: Bunny Christie
Lighting: Paule Constable
Sound: Ian Dickinson

Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s acclaimed novel is one of the National Theatre’s enduring successes. It centres on Christopher, an unusual teenager, who has an incredible mind but struggles with social interaction and has behavioural difficulties; he’s likely on the autistic spectrum. But when Christopher discovers his neighbour’s dog has been killed, it sets him on a quest — one which takes him far away from home, and which ultimately helps him to deal with his family problems. Join Christopher on this extraordinary journey by booking your Curious Incident tickets.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time premiered at the National Theatre in 2003, and was an instant hit with audiences of all ages. The major challenge was how to translate the novel to stage while retaining Christopher’s unique point of view, but Stephens and director Marianne Elliott found thrilling creative solutions to do just that. The resulting Curious Incident play is a visual and theatrical wonder, delving you deep into Christopher’s mind and letting you see the world through his eyes.

Key to that are the contributions from movement specialists Steven Hoggett and Scott Graham, as well as the set design by Bunny Christie, lighting from Paule Constable, and video by Finn Ross. All combine to produce a funny, rich, distinctive and powerfully moving show. Following the National Theatre premiere, the Curious Incident West End production was just as successful, and the show won seven Olivier Awards. Broadway soon followed (with six Tony Awards), as well as numerous countries around the world.

Now, we have a Curious Incident London revival at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Welcome back this beloved show in London: book your Curious Incidents tickets now.

What to Watch For

• Does the play’s title sound familiar? That’s because it comes from a Sherlock Holmes tale, The Adventure of Silver Blaze. There are definite similarities between the great detective and Christopher Boone, Haddon’s amateur sleuth. Both exhibit signs of autistic behaviour, and both have impressive mental faculties with an emphasis on facts and logic.
• The play is one of few to run in multiple West End venues. It began life at the Apollo Theatre in 2013, but had to move following the theatre’s roof collapse. It then reopened at the Gielgud Theatre, playing there from 2014-2017, and returned for another run at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2018-2019.
• Director Marianne Elliott picked up Olivier and Tony Awards for Curious Incident, but those are far from her only honours. She also won a Tony for War Horse, Tony and Olivier Awards for her revival of Angels in America, and another Olivier for Death of a Salesman. Her gender-swapped production of Sondheim’s Company, a recent West End hit, is now opening on Broadway.
• Prime numbers feature heavily in both the book and the show. Haddon used them to head up each chapter, as they are mathematician Christopher’s favourite. Elliott honours that in her production: the music is based on prime number sequences, and, as a bonus, the opening of the show counts out a 2-3-5-7 rhythm.
• Christopher’s best friend is his pet Toby the rat - played, in the show, by a rotating pair of real-life rodents. The rats are trained for their roles, and each new actor playing Christopher is given time to bond with them. Three of the previous rat performers were called Splat, Nellie and Marilyn, as voted for by fans of the show, and the current pair are called Rory and Lorelai, named after characters in Gilmore Girls.