by Lorie Lewis Ham
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time opened this past weekend at the Selma Arts Center. It is a play based on the YA novel of the same name written by Mark Haddon. The play premiered in London in 2012 and I had the pleasure of seeing it in Los Angeles a couple of years ago. I was very excited to get to see it again in Selma.
The story is that of a 15-year-old boy named Christopher Boone (Jared Serpa) who finds out that his neighbor’s dog Wellington has been murdered and becomes determined to find out who killed him. Christopher is a mathematical genius who appears to have an autism spectrum disorder, although the condition is never explicitly stated in the play. Christopher is both helped and hindered in his adventure by his autism. He faces a lot of resistance to his investigation from his father, Ed (played this past weekend by Terry Lewis and closing weekend by Chris Mangels), as well as from some of the neighbors and the police. But this does not stop him. While investigating, Christopher learns much more than he bargained for, which sets him out on an even bigger adventure. The play is presented as a reading of Christopher’s writing which is read aloud in segments by his teacher, Siobhan (Diane Fidalgo), and then turned into a play, making this a play within a play.
Christopher (Jared Serpa)
Everything about this show is wonderful–from the simple and unusual set (which looks much like a smaller version of what I saw in Los Angeles) to the amazing cast! Jared Serpa as Christopher absolutely blew me away with one of the most incredible performances I have seen on local stages! Terry Lewis as Christopher’s father did a wonderful job of bringing to life the many facets of his character. There were many very emotional scenes between father and son that Jared and Terry made feel so real. Camille Gaston shows up in many different roles and brought some wonderful bits of comedy to the play every time she appeared on stage, as did Laramie Woolsey. Julie Lucido plays Christopher’s mother, and Diane Fidalgo plays his teacher Siobhan, and they also did an excellent job. Every aspect of this show was perfect. Major kudos to director Ruth Griffin.
Ed (Terry Lewis)
As a huge mystery fan, I very much enjoyed the mystery side of the story and love how Christopher imagines himself to be like Sherlock Holmes. The title is actually taken from a Sherlock Holmes story, as I’m guessing is the name of his rat, Toby. The play is powerful, fun, and inspiring. Watching this young man face his personal problems and demons with such courage was very moving. I also love that he had a pet rat!
Camille Gaston in one of her many roles, and Jared
Chris Mangels will be playing Ed for the closing weekend. Chris is such a talented and accomplished actor I am certain he will play it just as perfectly as Terry did opening weekend.
Do not miss this show! Get your tickets today for their closing performances this Thursday through Saturday and you will not be disappointed. The show is rated PG 13. Tickets can be purchased on their website or at the door. The Selma Arts Center is located at 1935 High St, Selma, CA.
If you love local theatre, be sure to check out our new Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. The first 11 episodes are now up! You can check the podcast out on iTunes and Google Play, and also on podbean. Also check out our other theatre articles and reviews in our Arts and Entertainment section.
I wish I lived closer to Selma but I’m in North Alabama but if I get down that way I’m going to have to check out the Arts Center.