Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, has captured the imaginations of readers all over the world. Since being adapted for the stage and premiering at the National Theatre in 2012, the story has consistently wowed audiences and critics alike.

A new production of the show premieres at Birmingham Rep this month, with Joe McFadden top-billing alongside ex-EastEnder Charlie Brooks. Joe recently chatted to What’s On about his love of the original novel - and his delight at being involved with this latest stage version...

When actor Joe McFadden first read Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time more than 20 years ago, he immediately fell in love with its story and its characters. So he’s genuinely delighted to now be a part of a brand-new staging of the novel.

Premiering at Birmingham Rep early this month, the show sees Joe playing the character of Ed, alongside Charlie Brooks as Judy - the parents of autistic teenager Chris Boone. Discovering that neighbour’s dog Wellington has been killed with a garden fork, Chris turns detective to uncover the perpetrator. However, in doing so, some shocking secrets within the Boone family are also revealed...

The production uses the Simon Stephens adaptation - which proved such a hit for the National Theatre in 2012 - but recreates the story with new sets and designs by Eleanor Bull. Ned Bennett is in the director’s chair.

Joe is very much enjoying being part of the process: “I absolutely loved the book back in 2003. It was one of those books that it seemed everyone was reading. I loved it so much that I then went and saw the play because I was fascinated with what they were going to do with it. And I loved the play! It was such a hit, and it was great in so many different ways.

“The Simon Stephens adaptation is just brilliant, and we’re very lucky that that’s the adaptation we’re using. We were very fortunate that he came in and talked to us during rehearsals. It was really interesting hearing his take on it all and his process of adapting such a loved book, capturing all the elements that everyone loves but still making it work as a piece of theatre.

“I’m just really excited knowing that this is a new production, and how exciting it’s going to be to reinvent a story that is so loved by so many people.”

Ed is far from the perfect dad, but for Joe, that’s what makes the part so interesting: “Ed doesn’t always get everything right as a parent. He makes mistakes, he’s fallible, and that’s the thing that I related to in him. The great thing about this story is that no-one is perfect. There’s no good guys and bad guys; it’s very nuanced storytelling. Sure, we all do some quite horrendous things, but we do them for the right reasons. Ed loves his child dearly, and he’s absolutely doing his best for her.”

This is definitely the point at which we should mention that this new telling sees the character of Christopher, the boy in the original book, being replaced by the character of a girl named Chris. Alex Keenan and Imi Price will share the role during the show’s run.

“Having female leads is really interesting because the dynamic changes,” Joe says. “The fact that this family unit has broken down, and how that plays itself out. So it’s a father and his daughter being left behind and how devastating that would be and how a daughter absolutely needs her mother.

“It feels so important that we do this. There has been a lot of misconception that more boys are autistic than girls, and that’s absolutely not true. It’s just that it presents itself in different ways, and I think it’s harder to diagnose, so it feels really important that people realise that it’s just as prevalent in girls. The two girls we’ve got, Alex and Imi, are brilliant and heartbreaking and completely immersed in it, so the scenes feel really fresh.

“If you’ve seen this story told from a male perspective, now you can come and see it from a female perspective - and it absolutely will be different. If you loved it before, you’ll still love it now. It’s a re-invention and a re-interpretation.

“You’re sort of seeing inside someone who is neurodivergent, and you’re seeing the processes of their mind. Mark Haddon did it brilliantly in the book, where absolutely we are seeing the world from Chris’ perspective.

“The question is, when is Chris going to figure it out? What the play did really well, and I think our production is also going to do really well, is show you the whimsy and the fantasy and the excitement of being a 15-year-old, of having this wonderfully adept mind. Chris is so wonderful at mathematics and is really into space exploration, and you get to see into their mind and it’s really entertaining.

“Her school and her father underestimate her. One of the things that Simon talked about is that essentially this story is about bravery and people’s kindness at a time when we need those qualities more than ever. We do sort of put Chris into this box that she can’t cope, and it turns out that’s her journey and her quest during the play. How much can she cope with? And can she do a lot more than the people around her feel that perhaps she can?”

Produced by Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot, the new show will tour the UK after premiering in the second city this month. The hope is that neurodivergent people will go along and enjoy the experience.

“I think for the first time we are making it friendly for neurodivergent audiences. It’s going to be explained at the beginning, and how loud and how bright it’s going to get. I think the reasoning behind that, which I absolutely agree with, is that as this story is about neurodivergent people, they should be able to come in and see it - there shouldn’t be any barrier to stop them.

“The aim is that, in the same way 15-year-old boys came along, spotted themselves [in Christopher] and thought ‘I’m like that, my mind works like that,’ hopefully we are now going to get 15-year-old girls coming along and feeing the same way.”

It isn’t the first time Joe has played to Birmingham audiences, having previously starred as Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption and drag queen Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, both at The Alexandra. Curious Incident will mark his first appearance at The Rep.

“I hear it’s a really big space, and it’s exciting to be able to fill a space that size. On the tour, we’re playing some really big places but some much smaller venues as well, and that’s the challenge for the designer: different-sized shows. Eleanor’s design is a feast for the senses; there’s so much lightness and so much humour. At Birmingham Rep, it’s going to look amazing.”

Before we finish chatting, I ask Joe about his own dog, black cockapoo Douglas, who died last year.

“I decided against getting another dog. I’m on the road too much, so for the moment it doesn’t make sense. It’s great, though, that having loved a dog, you know how devastating and heartbreaking it is when they die, And so I realise the gravity of the death of this dog in the show for Chris. It’s a shocking and a brilliant way to open a novel and a play because everyone wants to know who has done this horrible thing, just as much as Chris wants to know and goes on this quest to find out.”

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time shows at Birmingham Rep from Saturday 5 to Saturday 19 September. The production then returns to the Midlands in 2027, showing at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 April & Malvern Theatres from Tues 18 to Saturday 22 May

By Diane Parkes