@ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 9 May 2015 (and touring)
This is not a story about Asperger syndrome. It’s a story about a family and the break-up of a marriage told from the perspective of a young boy, the son of the couple who happens to have Asperger’s. Mark Haddon’s acclaimed novel has been adapted for stage by Simon Stephens. The National Theatre’s production is the winner of seven Olivier Awards and a six-time Tony award nominee.
When Mrs Shears’ (Roberta Kerr) dog Wellington is discovered dead in her front garden, neighbour Christopher (Joshua Jenkins) embarks on an investigation to find the culprit. Christopher charts his journey in a book that he writes for school. The book is read by his teacher, Siobhan (Geraldine Alexander) and we follow his journey as he begins to make sense of the changing world around him.
Marianne Elliott’s direction uses bold Brechtian devices, such as alienation, to view the emotional events of the play objectively. Haddon’s choice to create a character with Asperger’s is a vehicle for observation: for drawing out the absurdities in relationships, to question the decisions we make and why we make them. There is no sentimentally overarching the narrative. Designer Bunny Christie’s set is a box of squares mapped out like a maths jotter onto which the action is played, drawn and animated. As Christopher navigates his broken home, his train sets and maths exams, we see the naivety, anticipation and resilience in his coming-of-age tale. The remaining thirteen members of the ensemble multi-roleplay the others who come and go from the teenagers’ adventures. The characters are stylised, retaining distance from naturalistic performance and further drawing the audience into the world as perceived by Christopher. While the narrative isn’t complex, the precision of execution and detail in this production make for a slick and theatrically exciting experience.