I loved The Curious Incident so
much first time round when I saw it performed at The Cottesloe that I jumped at the chance of seeing it again. Not only did I relish the chance of watching Luke Treadaway’s mind-blowing
performance as Christopher Boon once more, but also I was intrigued as to how
it would transfer to a proscenium arch stage.
The answer to the latter is that
it does transfer very, very well, thanks to the brilliance of Designer Bunny Christie, Director Marianne
Elliott and Lighting Designer Paule
Constable. For anyone who is seeing
this magnificent play for the first time, as were three of our party, it still
stands out as a wonderful piece of theatre and richly deserves its recent
Olivier Awards. However, having seen the
original, I inadvertently found myself comparing the two productions and the
in-the-round version wins by a nose.
This is mainly because the intimacy of the Cottesloe and the configuration of that set made one feel so much
more part of Christopher’s world. I was
still incredibly moved by the whole thing, but, unlike last time, didn’t feel
the urge to rush and help when Christopher has his fit towards the end of Act
One. My daughter was mightily relieved I
must say.
Luke is still magnificent, the
rest of the cast excellent and, although I did miss Paul Ritter’s more rounded
performance as the father, Ed and Nicola Walker’s heartbreaking portrayal of
Judy, Christopher’s mother, I am so thrilled to have seen Curious again.
Beg, borrow or steal a ticket to
see it.
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