Curious about Curious Incident? - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time UK Tour Review | RBB

Last night I attended the regional press night for the touring production of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ at Woking Theatre. It was great to be back, receiving the warm welcome this venue always brings after a small hiatus (I am always keeping busy!).

Having seen this particular Mark Haddon play before, I was truly interested to see what this production would change, if at all, and how my opinion would settle after seeing a different production. The most notable change for this rendition of the play is that the role of Chris is now played by a female performer. The original version of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ gave the tale of Christopher, struggling with his autism whilst still being expected to function well in the world, voicing his concerns along the way. Last night’s production takes us into a new world with Chris - following research of how autism can differently affect girls with them internalising a lot of their problems during difficult situations. Seeing this play out onstage spun the show in a new direction and it is a completely fresh take. If you have seen ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ before, you need to see it again!

Alex Keenan makes a corker of a professional stage debut in the role of Chris Boone. Keenan was 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 was a delight to watch and gave 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 broke my heart towards the end of Act 1. I have often times struggled to like the character of Judy in this moment - my total empathy directed at Chris - but Brooks tugged on my heartstrings unlike any performer I have seen do this before. I will admit I left the auditorium at the interval with tears in my eyes and I am sure many, many others did too. In Act 2, Brooks plays an empowered Judy who only wants what is best for her daughter and it was 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 found the sweet balance of all of these things in his portrayal of Ed and it was a delight watching him. The phrase ‘with bated breath’ comes to mind, because I truly was 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 did this with brilliance.

The cast is made up of talented performers who brought the play to life with comedic character roles throughout, each one had a starring moment but if I went 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 progressed I really came to enjoy the projections which helped give us an insight into Chris’ mind. This proves that first impressions aren’t always correct because I left the theatre thinking that this was 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 was great to see what seemed to be quite a full audience for a Tuesday evening too.

The tour plays this week in Woking before heading elsewhere, make sure you get some tickets for the Woking run here. To see where else you can find this playing, click here.

Wednesday 23rd September 2026

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants