Review of the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

On Thursday 23rd June I went and saw this play at the Gielgud Theatre with my class friends on a drama trip. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was one of the first plays I have watched so I had no idea what to expect. It was breath-taking, I had not anticipated for it to be so gripping. Every scene was as good as the last which made it seem like the play was over in minutes.

My favourite part of the play was when Christopher climbed up the stairs that appeared from the wall because no one knew that there were stairs there and it looked cool. I also loved all the technical light affects that changed the whole atmosphere because the set was just a 3 walled room but it was able to transform from a school to a train station just by the effect of the lighting and sound. This play is famous for its modern, complicated lighting and sound effects which kept me mesmerised and in awe throughout the whole play. My least favourite part was the fact that Christopher, and some of the other main characters, did not have a change of costume so this area was not fully explored which I thought would have been a more fascinating if it was included.

Comparing the two plays, An Inspector Calls (AIC) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (CIDN), I saw there were many stark contrasts which made my two experiences thrilling in different ways. The play AIC was done in an old-fashioned way as it reflected the time it was set in- mid 1900s, but CIDN was much more modern so the atmosphere and how it was created was different in both plays. The set in AIC was much bigger and was made to look like it was outside, there was even rain at the beginning of the play. But in CIDN the set was simple and indoors but the effects made it 100 times more fascinating.

I would definitely recommend everyone to watch it because the storyline itself was gripping and for this to be acted out live was an amazing privilege to watch. The lighting and sound effects just added to the brilliance of this play. If you wanted a fab night out I would recommend this play to you as it has also taught me a lot too. I have learnt that most of the audience's attention is mainly grasped by the technical effects so this area is key in the play. These effects are also significant when creating the mood and atmosphere of the setting which helps the audience connect with the play and characters. Overall the actors and backstage crew definitely deserve a lot of credit for the wonderful play!