<em>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</em> At Seattle’s Paramount Theatre

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” the acclaimed new play by Simon Stephens, will play a one-week engagement at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre from July 25-30th.

“Curious Incident” made its bow at the National Theater in London before it moved to Broadway in 2014. It was directed by Tony-winner Marianne Elliott, who also won a Tony for her direction of the brilliant production “War Horse,”

Based on Mark Haddon’s 2003 best-selling novel of the same name. “Curious Incident” tells the story of an autistic boy’s coming-of-age. It is also a detective story, its title taken from a Sherlock Holmes tale in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 short story “Silver Blaze.”

Fifteen-year old Christopher John Francis Boone has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.

Gene Gillette as Ed and Adam Langdon as Christopher Boone in the touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Photo: Joan Marcus.

Gene Gillette as Ed and Adam Langdon as Christopher Boone in the touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Photo: Joan Marcus.

He knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched, he detests the color yellow, and he loathes metaphors and similes. Every day of his life is an obstacle course, because he sees and feels everything.

The play won five Tony Awards when it played on Broadway, including Best Play.  It also snagged six Drama Desk awards, five Outer Critic Circle Awards and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play. Not surprising, as the book garnered over 17 literary awards and has been translated into 44 languages.

Felicity Jones Latta as Judy and the touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Photo: Joan Marcus.

Felicity Jones Latta as Judy and the touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Photo: Joan Marcus.

“Curious Incident” is an improbable story. A quirky teenage boy clings to order, deals with a family crisis and tries to make sense of the world as he sees it.

As one literary wrote. “It also provides profound insight into a disorder—autism—that leaves those who have it struggling to perceive even the most basic of human emotions. In so doing, “Curious Incident” leaves its audiences with a greater appreciation of their own ability to feel, express, and interpret emotions.

The play’s ensemble of actors play a wide range of characters, including everything from Christopher’s pet rat Toby to a microwave and even ATM machine

In an interview about his novel, Hadden quoted a friend of his who happens to be a mathematician, “It’s not about a boy who has Asperger’s syndrome; it’s a novel about a young mathematician who has some strange behavioral problems.”

“Curious Incident” is a best-selling novel, a Tony-winning stage play, and it may become a movie. The film rights to the novel were optioned by Brad Grey and Brad Pitt for Warner Brothers. In 2011 Steve Kloves was attached to write and direct the project, but has not yet been produced.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” runs July 25-July 30 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre. Tickets start at $30, and are available online at available at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm).

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Starla Smith

Starla Smith

Starla Smith is a career journalist, writing features for such publications as The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Daily News, The Des Moines Register, Vibe and a prize-winning Gannett Newspaper. She helped launch Theater Week Magazine and eventually became its publisher. As a regular contributor to Playbill, her interviews and photos were featured in Playbill and Playbill-on-line. Smith was featured in the New York Times "Style" section for her "Word Portraits," specialized tributes, speeches, and presentation profiles. And she covered theater and features for City Search, Digital City, and the Tena Duberry WOW! Radio show. She previously served as astrology guru for Out Magazine, and she hastens to assure her readers that "Starla" is indeed her real name.

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