By Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon. National Theatre (UK). Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. 11 January – 25 February 2018
The Curious Incident tells its curious story from the point of view of Christopher Boone (Joshua Jenkins), an autistic teenager, a maths genius, living in Swindon in England with his Dad, Ed (David Michaels), who’s told him that his mother, Judy, is dead. One night, Christopher discovers their neighbour’s dog dead on her front lawn, impaled on a garden fork. (The chalk line around the corpse – the classic murder scene – remains as a reminder to the end of the play.) His determination to find the dog’s killer kick starts the plot.