‘Curious Incident’ reveals world through another mind

A play about the mind requires imaginative staging, and that’s the first thing you’ll notice about “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

The national tour of the Tony Award-winning drama (Best Play 2015) opened its run at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. It provides just enough framework to let the audience connect the dots and see how the world looks to a person with faulty brain wiring.

Adapted from the novel by Mark Haddon, “Curious Incident” is told through the point of view of 15-year-old Christopher, who requires near-constant supervision because of his autism-like disorder.

The production’s task is to reveal a mind that takes everything literally and cannot grasp metaphorical thinking or the unspoken ways in which feelings are shared. It solves this dilemma brilliantly.

The stage is a bare box, surrounded on three sides by black walls with gridsheet lines. In most inventive fashion, the walls – which are actually LED screens – intermittently spring to life to project the confusion, frustration and fear of young Christopher as he makes sense of the world. But they also show his triumphs.

Adam Langdon played Christopher at Tuesday’s performance. The play rests squarely on this young actor, who so convincingly portrayed the character’s mental limitations – and strengths.

Christopher might be oblivious to emotion and human interaction, but he can think with computer-like order; he is a math whiz at his special school. He is also excitable, easily overwhelmed and prone to mental shutdowns when the stimulation is too great.

In one unforgettable segment, the manic Christopher takes a train to London by himself, and the audience can grasp his terror. The wall screens show how the mayhem of the city appears to the boy, while Langdon uses his whole body to show his fear.

Christopher’s journey of discovery begins when he sets out to learn who killed his neighbor’s dog. He puts his thinking skills to use as a detective, and turns up a truth that goes way beyond a dead pet. It shatters his world.

“Curious Incident” also casts light on the toll that raising such a boy takes on the parents.

Christopher’s father and mother, played by Gene Gillette and Maria Elena Ramirez, both reach their breaking point and are guilty of making some poor decisions as they try to cope.

The strain of parental love in the face of relentless duty shows on the actors’ faces as their characters reach the limits set by their own personalities.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” will continue for six more performances: 7:30 tonight, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets range from $26 to $71 and are available at trustarts.org.

Guy D’Astolfo covers entertainment for The Vindicator. Follow him on Twitter at @vindyvibe.