I remember it very clearly. It was about a week or so before Christmas in 2003, and I had been given a diagnosis that would mean I could finally get the support I needed in my life, and that my parents had been trying to get for some time. Some of you will know this, but I suspect that a lot of you won't, so you might as well know now.
I have Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.
A lot of people have no idea what that means, and even I struggle to understand it sometimes. The best way of describing it is that autism is a spectrum of different conditions, and Asperger's Syndrome is one of them. Some people are only mildly affected by it - such as myself - whereas others are affected more severely by it. Social interaction can be difficult for those with autism, as can things like hand-eye co-ordination and communication skills. A lot of people with autism like routine, don't like uncertainty as to what's happening or what's going to happen, and often display behaviour seen as repetitive. They also often have heightened sensory capabilities, and some can display amazing abilities that very few people can. For example, Steven Wiltshire, an architectural artist from the UK, has the amazing ability to draw landscapes such as London and New York City from memory after only having seen them once. There are other things as well, but if I went into them, it'd take up too much time.
You may have heard of a book by Mark Haddon called 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time', which was released in 2003. It's a story told through the eyes of Christopher Boone, a fifteen-year-old boy. He has a fantastic mathematical ability, and can do things with his brain that a lot of people can only dream of. (Interesting side note - the chapters in the book aren't numbered consecutively as you'd normally expect. Instead, they're numbered using just prime numbers, such is Christopher's fascination with them. Indeed, he states at the beginning of Chapter 3 [the second chapter in the book] that he can count every prime number up to 7,057.) It's never explicitly said in the book, but Christopher has a form of autism, and it is accepted by many people that he has Asperger's Syndrome - like myself - only he is more affected by it than me. It's a brilliant book, and when I heard that it was being adapted into a stage production by the National Theatre, I was thrilled. I didn't go to see it when it was originally on at the National Theatre in London, as I didn't end up getting tickets. When it was initially in cinemas as part of the National Theatre Live initiative, I didn't see it, as I didn't find anywhere near me that was showing it. I also planned to go and see it in the West End while it was at the Apollo (before the ceiling collapsed back in December 2013), but I just didn't get around to getting tickets booked. So when I saw that it was coming to cinemas again as part of the National Theatre Live initiative, I knew that I had to get tickets for it. Which is exactly what I did. There's just one question I wish to answer. Was it worth the wait?
YES!
Technically, it wasn't live as such - it was a recording of one of the original live performances, starring Paul Ritter as Ed Boone (Christopher's father), Niamh Cusack as Siobhan (Christopher's support worker at his school), Una Stubbs as Mrs Alexander (one of Christopher's neighbours), Nick Sidi as Mr Shears (partner of Christopher's mother, and the estranged husband of Ed & Christopher's neighbour, Mrs Shears), and in the main role, Luke Treadaway. The acting was brilliant, and I can see why it won so many Olivier Awards. For the record, the Olivier Awards are to the West End what the Oscars are to the film industry. Undoubtedly, the best performance was that of Luke Treadaway as Christopher. This was Treadaway's first big role, and he was just perfect. He brought Christopher to life, and fully deserves the praise he's been getting. I'm certain he's going to go on to great things in future. The versatility in the staging helped so much, with lighting, sound and projection mapping being used to great effect. And also, as a slightly bizarre thing, chalk. I won't give much away, but it was brought into use a few times when Christopher was trying to explain to the audience what was going on in his mind, as well as something at the end. As well as that, there was the usage of a model train set, which was constructed by Christopher at a few points in the play. It started off simple enough, with a few straights and some simple corners to connect them. The train set was put to good use in a later scene, where Christopher was getting confused and frustrated (I won't spoil it for you, as this revolves around a very important point in the plot), and the way that he was laying the track reflected that. There was no planning put into how the pieces were laid out - Christopher just connected pieces in a completely random order. There were other things as well, but that particular bit about the train set really stands out in my mind.
Since I saw it in May, I've longed to go and see it again. It's reopening at the Gielgud Theatre in London within the next few days of writing this, and in December, it's also starting on a national tour. It's arriving in Stoke in February 2015, and I definitely plan on getting tickets for it. It was excellent, and I think it's now my favourite play, narrowly beating the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2008 adaptation of Malorie Blackman's 'Noughts and Crosses'. I just want to see 'Curious Incident' again and again, as I feel I can draw so much from it. If the recording I saw were available to buy on DVD, then I would certainly buy a copy of it!
I want to conclude this by briefly reflecting on the title of this blog - 'Curious Incident and me'. I've already mentioned the connection that I have with 'Curious Incident', in that both myself and Christopher have a form of autism, and I feel it was this that really helped me connect with the play. I could see the similarities and differences between how autism affects me and how it affects Christopher. It was also a great insight into how others manage to look after those with autism, and how some find it easier (for want of a better word) than others.
'Curious Incident' is brilliant. If you're in London any time soon, then get tickets for it at the Gielgud Theatre. If not, and you're happy to wait, then there's always the national tour visiting many places across the country. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed.
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