THEA AR TT ER BROADWAY’S MOST CELEBRATED PLAY The Curious Incident NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 129 T he page-to-stage transfer of Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time made its Broadway debut in the fall of 2014. The show tells the story of a gifted 15-year-old named Christopher and his journey to uncover the mystery behind the death of his neighbor’s dog. The 2015 Tony Award–winning play was written by Simon Stephens, who says that he wrote the play for four people, its author, Mark Haddon, and his three children, as he wanted to write about something that his children would want to see. The show’s associate director Ben Klein says that a big part of why this play has done so well is because of its similarity to a musical in the way it uses sound design; projection design, such as huge theatrical events; and choreography, as well as incredibly intimate and moving scenes. Tyler Lea, the show’s star, had to spend a month doing yoga and Pilates to get in shape for the role, due to the intense twoand a-half hours of choreography he does onstage each night. When he gets to the theater, Tyler does a 45-minute workout of stretching and vocalizing to prepare for the show. This is a play for today. Christopher represents many people; and although he is just a boy, he sees the world with greater clarity than most others. Christopher views the world with a sense of energy and detail that most of us lack. He sees things that most of us don’t. The play focuses on the challenges of living in cities and the difficulties of sustaining a family in a time of emotional dislocation. This is a story about living with divorce and the dynamics involved with loving people at a time when life can be hard. Within these struggles, Christopher is a character that finds a capacity to love. 9 EDITOR’S NOTE: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will be at the Straz Center in Tampa from November 8th through the 13th. By Frank DiLella The Broadway hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will be at the Straz Center in Tampa from November 8th through Sunday, November 13th. PHOTO: ALEXANDER SHARP
19187TB
To see the actual publication please follow the link above