Simon Stephens and Imogen Knight have teamed up once more to mix dance with theatre. Call me simple but a production titled Nuclear War does invoke expectations that there will be some global crisis in its make-up. This is not the case with Stephens’ latest piece.
Courtesy of Chloe Lamford.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time adapted by Simon Stephens from the book by Mark Haddon and produced by the National Theatre is a visual feast, with assured performances from a tight ensemble cast and a dazzling array of stage and lighting tricks. The style of the piece sets about mining a rich history of complex movement and physical theatre techniques, drawing from the methods of people like Rudolf Laban and Jacques Lecoq. Using these ideas to tell the story and in place of complex set and scenery is an insight into the way our protagonist and narrator, Christopher, sees and interacts with the world.
First performed in 1998 at the Royal Court, Bluebird is one of his first plays. After having watched more recent plays, such as Birdland and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, it is easy to see how in 1998 his writing already had the immense poetry and insightful grasp on life but was still undergoing important developments.
