MATHS and the minutiae of the Bakerloo Line aren’t usually associated with limelight, but then this is a classic 21st Century text and, once the stamp of the National Theatre is all over it you can rest assured that this will be a top production, but not like we have ever seen before.

The Curious Incident is a scintillating equation for why theatre is still thrilling. Take a meticulous performance, incorporating dance, awesome railway building and even some animal handling by our star, Joshua Jenkins as Christopher, a character whose Asperger’s Syndrome means that his ability to cope with the post-modern world is hugely limited. Add some exceptional video design from Finn Ross; multiply it by the most mind-blowing lighting from Paule Constable and then square that by classic solid stagecraft, and you have a very exciting solution.

The story at the heart of this technological masterpiece is a small domestic struggle, of a fractured family coming to terms with their son’s behaviour. The stage is a huge black space bathed in ever-changing light and a crescendo of neo-theatre magic in the first act will take your breath away. Jenkins is superb, embodying the boy who sees the world through very different eyes. Geraldine Alexander is heavenly as Siobhan, his calm, increasingly angelic counterpart.

The story begins with the violent death of Wellington, a neighbour’s dog and is about Christopher’s struggle to find the truth, about that and other things. For those who wish to know, the algebraic solution to a maths problem (in the book as an appendix) is delivered with aplomb after the curtain call, so if you can get a ticket over the next two weeks, sit tight for the final twists of this year’s theatre rollercoaster.

  • Runs until Saturday, February 7. Box Office: 08448-112121 or theatreroyal.co.uk

 

Sarah Scott