Burbage Theatre falls short in its staging of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'

Boston Globe

25-03-2025

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The productions at London's West End in 2013 and on Broadway in 2015, as well as
What is clear from the current Burbage Theatre Co. staging of this play, under Karen Carpenter's direction, is that productions, too, fall on a spectrum.
Here, designers Trevor Elliott (set/projections) and Audrey Visscher (lighting) operate with just enough technological bells and whistles to keep things interesting and operating in the same theatrical spirit as the original productions. But rear projections on the two wall-sized screens that surround the small performance space, coupled with uninspiring illumination and an imbalanced soundtrack, keep this staging from feeling immersive. Having a tilted mirror suspended above the stage so that audience members in the rear of the house can see what's taking place on the edge of the stage floor further undermines all that is artsy and tech-savvy in the production.
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Without all the dazzling production pyrotechnics, attention automatically gravitates to the performers and their contributions to this enterprise.
Elijah Russell's portrayal of Christopher, who is rarely off stage during the production's two-hour run, is authentic and always interesting. And because the stagecraft doesn't quite hold up its end of getting the audience to understand the agony of Christopher's existence, Russell's casual but risk-taking performance certainly does. He carries the show and is a pleasure to watch.
Christopher's special-education teacher, Siobhan — a thoroughly delightful Allison Crews — provides Christopher's inner voice throughout the show by reading his journal aloud. This turns what we see and know of the parents, the neighbors, and others into an extension of Christopher's autism, which limits the range and depth with which they can be depicted.
The wonderful Michael Thibeault and Amie Lytle, as the parents, do what they can to flesh out their characters and add a semblance of pathos to their portrayals, but the script offers little to work with.
Members of the ensemble (H. Avery, Paula Faber, Mireya Hoffens, Philip Iredale, Omar Laguerre-Lewis, and Teddy Lytle), who portray assorted neighbors, passersby, and the occasional household appliance — all the while delivering and removing props and furnishings — are similarly handcuffed. But instead of finding a common stylistic approach to their characters and their execution of Philip Iredale's mob movement choreography, their work is as inconsistent as their British accents.
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Carpenter, as director, finds humor and tenderness in this work. Just not a way to better elevate the efforts of the actors and the artisans.
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
Play by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon. directed by Karen Carpenter. At the Burbage Theatre Co., 59 Blackstone Ave., Pawtucket. Through April 13. Tickets are $30, including fees. 401-484-0355,
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him
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