THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME – Written by Simon Stephens; Directed by Richard Cowden.  Produced by the Aurora Fox Theatre (9900 East Colfax, Aurora) through April 13.  Tickets available at 303-739-1970 or AuroraArtsCenter.org. 

Henry Judge ALERT!!  There is a young talent performing at the Fox to which attention must be paid.  River Hetzel steps into a well-deserved spotlight by taking on the challenging role of Christopher Boone in the current production at the Fox.  

Christopher is a severely autistic child whose inner confusions, ways of processing information, and ritualistic behavior have driven both mother and father to painful decisions.  Unable to bear the touch of another human, Christopher erupts into panic mode with placed under stressful situations.  They have no filters in conversation yet view the world in a straightforward unblinking manner with an honesty that can be both startling and funny.  In a positively riveting performance, River explores, loses control, regains it, and tells their story with honesty and humor.  It is such a delight to watch the gradual progression from confusion to understanding sweep across their face and be greeted with a silly grin. 

Christopher is an extremely complicated character that River completely inhabits.  Their every move seems uncalculated and authentic.  At times, the clarity of their thinking startles into a smile.  There is sometimes an unexpected twinkle in the eyes which seems part Christopher and part River.  There are so many levels to this performance that I could ramble on for pages. 

But then I would be neglecting the other excellent players and technical aspects of this production.  The talented ensemble cast includes local favorites Jessica Austgen as Christopher’s painfully absent mother; Matthew Murry as a misguided but loving father, and Andrea Rutherford as an insightful and understanding teacher.  Making their debuts at the Fox in this production include Colin Alexander (a longtime favorite at the Arvada Center); Rachel Darden, Kenny Fedorko, Katelyn Kendrick, Chris Petersen, and Prescilla Young-Anker.  This band of players provides with ease and grace all the other characters in Christopher’s neighborhood and journey.  They allow the story to move forward with purpose by generally sitting quietly on the sidelines until called upon to contribute a line or two.  They quickly add a costume piece to become a police officer, a kindly neighbor, an angry housewife, the principal at a school, and the dozens of other characters that help tell Christopher’s story. 

This all takes place in another supportive set designed by Brandon Case whose work has evolved from the traditional paint and carpentry sets of old to the electronic support now available to productions.  His brilliant projections across the walls of the basic room that becomes home – street – school – train – everything seamlessly.  The production is further enhanced by the sound effects designed by Rich Cowden and the original music composed by Liam Cowden.  The rest of the tech team includes Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s understated costumes, Jen Orf’s mood lighting that contributed so much when chaos enters Christopher’s life, Ben Raanan’s assistance with the accurate portrayal of autism, and Zach Madison, Stage Manager, who keeps everything operating smoothly. 

Congratulations to Rich Cowden who directed this complicated script into a meaningful experience.  We the audience walked out with a deeper understanding of the sometimes static that can inhabit the brain of the differently formed.  He created significant patterns of movement that could create both chaos and peace, told the story with rehearsal blocks as seating when required, and had the wisdom to cast River.  One last special kudo to the two dogs in the show – one dead (Wellington designed by Wesley Schwarz) and one live puppy (designed by God). 

A WOW factor of 9.5!!