'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' - creating comedy and tension
Moments of comedy and tension are explored in the National Theatre鈥檚 production of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time', adapted by Simon Stephens.
Moments of comedy and tension are explored in the National Theatre鈥檚 production of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time', adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens from the novel by Mark Haddon. Footage from the stage play is combined with interviews with the cast and creative team to explain how moments of comedy and tension were created. Nicola Walker as Judy Boone (Christopher鈥檚 Mum in the play) is seen reading aloud the letters she wrote to Christopher. This builds tension on stage as Judy is confessing how difficult she found life with Christopher, while Christopher is on stage with her. Judy鈥檚 monologues are highly emotional moments of intensity in the play.
In contrast to this, we see moments of playfulness in the play. Luke Treadaway, the actor who played the role of Christopher, explains that these moments are vital to keep the audience engaged. Simon Stephens explains that many of the comic moments came directly from Mark Haddon鈥檚 writing. We see the cast creating these comic moments on stage, such as the interaction between Mrs Alexander and Christopher. Because Christopher sees things in a different way, the play is quirky and fun as well as being tense and emotional. The moments of comedy come from mis-understandings between people.
