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The Curious Incident: characters and staging
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The play puts the audience inside Christopher's way of experiencing the world.
Christopher
Brilliant at maths, honest and logical. He finds it hard to understand other people's feelings, jokes or metaphors, and cannot tell lies.
He is overwhelmed by noise and touch. He shows great courage and determination.
The play does not give him a label; it shows how he experiences the world.
He is overwhelmed by noise and touch. He shows great courage and determination.
The play does not give him a label; it shows how he experiences the world.
The adults
Ed: loving but under great strain; his lies damage trust.
Judy: loving but struggled to cope and left.
Siobhan: patient and supportive; she helps Christopher and the audience understand.
Mrs Alexander: an elderly neighbour who tells Christopher about the affair.
Judy: loving but struggled to cope and left.
Siobhan: patient and supportive; she helps Christopher and the audience understand.
Mrs Alexander: an elderly neighbour who tells Christopher about the affair.
Staging
The original National Theatre production used a bare, grid-like set with lights, projections and sound to show Christopher's mind and his overload in busy places.
Physical theatre showed movement, such as Christopher seeming to walk up walls.
The actors often stay on stage, becoming different people and objects.
Physical theatre showed movement, such as Christopher seeming to walk up walls.
The actors often stay on stage, becoming different people and objects.
How does the staging help the audience understand Christopher?
- Lights, projections and loud sounds recreate his sensory overload.
- The grid set suggests his love of maths and order.
- The audience feels some of what he experiences.
Answer: It recreates his sensory experience, so the audience understands his feelings from the inside.
Christopher: honest, logical, brave, overwhelmed by noise and touch. Ed: loving but lies. Judy: loving but left. Siobhan: guide. Staging: grid set, light, sound and physical theatre show his mind.
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