By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Tim Fuller
Hunter Hnat becomes behavior-challenged Christopher in "Curious Incident" at the Rogue Theatre.
Hunter Hnat's concentrated performance as behavior-challenged 15-year-old Christopher is astounding in the Rogue Theatre's imagination stretching production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Adapted to the stage by Simon Stephens from the popular book by Mark Haddon, “Curious Incident” is really about the curious and jaw-dropping determination of Christopher to reach his mom in London. She has been sadly estranged from his dad for quite awhile.
As directed by Cynthia Meier, the tale is told using a considerable amount of theatrical affectations that add fanciful elements, making Christopher's journey feel more like an adventure into the unknown reaches of Outer Space.
In several reviews appearing online much is made of Christopher's afflictions. Is he autistic? Does he have symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome? We don't know. Neither Haddon or Stephens mention a specific medical condition.
We do learn Christopher is a genius in math and equally genius at noting not just the number of cows in a herd beside the road, but the number of brown ones, black ones and multi-colored ones as well.
But Christopher gets easily startled, panics in the presence of certain bright colors and can't stand to be touched, not in any way, not by anyone. He also has an awkward way of talking, which takes a little getting used to.
All of this Hnat achieves with complete conviction. His creating this combination of brilliance and helplessness is a praiseworthy artistic achievement, earned without any cheap tricks or cheesy sentiments.
“Curious Incident” is set up for a cast of 10. Looking after Christopher are his father Ed (Ryan Parker Knox) and his mother Judy (Holly Griffith) and his special ed counselor Siobhan (Patty Gallagher). Six additional actors sit at the back of the stage to jump into a variety of short roles.
The play opens harshly with the startling image of a large dog lying dead with a garden spade stuck in its chest. Then we meet Christopher, distressed that no one is trying to find out who killed the neighbor's dog.
With his gifted eye for detail and his admiration for the deliberate methodology of Sherlock Holmes, Christopher sets out to uncover the perpetrator.
As Christopher uses deduction to narrow the list of suspects he begins to discover more things about his absent mom. And in the process we become drawn to his endearing determination.
At the same time, we sense the depths of his father's frustration. By intermission all the adults are in a spin, while Christopher with his bountiful innocence turned into confidence, has decided to strike out alone for London in search of his mom.
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" runs through Nov.18 with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, in the Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd. Some shows have sold out.
Tickets are $35, student rush $15. For details and reservations, 520-551-2053, theroguetheatre.org
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