As mega stage hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returns to Dublin, John Byrne talks to cast member Rebecca Root about the hit show, her career - and childhood memories of Dublin.
There’s yet another smash hit show heading to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returns to Dublin at the end of April.
The Olivier and Tony Award-winning production was adapted by Simon Stephens from the 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon, and directed by Marianne Elliott (whose CV includes War Horse).
As the cumbersome title implies, it tells Christopher Boone’s unique story as he searches for the answer to who killed his neighbour’s dog. It’s an adventure story, it’s a family drama. It’s also a life-affirming spectacle and a testament to the power of theatre.
Since 2012, the show has been seen by more than five million people worldwide. The winner of seven Olivier Awards, following its New York premiere in September 2014, it became the longest-running play on Broadway in over a decade, winning five Tony Awards.
Not bad for an oul' book, eh?
Among the current touring cast is Rebecca Root, whose career has been spread across stage, television and film. As well as appearing in the likes of Netflix mega hit The Queen's Gambit, movies such as The Sisters Brothers, The Danish Girl and Last Christmas, she’s probably best known for her lead role as trans woman Judy (Rebecca is also trans) in groundbreaking mid-Teenies BBC sitcom Boy Meets Girl.
John Byrne: What is it about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time that continues to appeal to theatre-goers?
Rebecca Root: With any kind of story, whether it’s a movie or a play, even a poem, people want to follow the journey of the protagonist, the sort of hero of the story, if you like. As humans, we enjoys stories where not everything is plain sailing.
We particularly enjoy those stories when they’re not happening to us! Seeing someone navigating the difficulties of the human condition, in all its varieties, shapes and sizes. And hopefully coming out on top.
And that’s what happens in this story. Not just in Christopher’s own journey, as somebody on the neuro-diverse spectrum, but also the people around him. His parents, for instance. His teacher. His mentor.
I suppose Siobhan, my character, has less of a journey than Christopher’s parents, Ed and Judy, who are deeply flawed individuals. They’re human!
And that’s what makes the story so compelling, in ways that we’re not just following Christopher, but seeing how his parents really, really struggle and find it very difficult to cope with some of his behavioural patterns.
Even Siobhan has her own difficulties and frustrations, with trying to help him, and help him on his way.
We’re all living this double existence, one inside our heads and the other externally dealing with everyone else. It’s not easy!
It’s part of being human, and it’s something the play does brilliantly. Simon Stephen’s writing and the set, and the sound design, the music, and the direction and choreography - and movement direction as well.
It really encapsulates and brilliantly portrays what’s going on inside Christopher’s head in a 3-D experiential rollercoaster for the audience.
Despite its literary background, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is very much a visual experience . . .
It is. When you first walk into the theatre you see this black box set, you think: "What’s that?" And then it springs to life with all sorts of electronic lighting, sound effects, visual effects, it’s very cleverly done.
I can’t take any credit for that because I’ve come into the show ten years down the line. It originated at the National There on the South Bank in London ten years ago, and then it transferred to the West End, where it had a successful run.
And then it went to Broadway, and had an equally successful run, winning numerous accolades and prizes. And then it toured the world.
It’s a great honour to step into the shoes of actors who went before and effectively built the piece for us to follow. And that’s the way with long-running shows.
You’ve also been in lots of TV shows and films, the likes of The Queen’s Gambit and The Danish Girl. But the big one was probably Boy Meets Girl, the BBC sitcom from a few years back where you played the lead.
Boy Meets Girl changed my career and changed my life. It gave me a platform and a visibility which I’d not previously experienced.
So at the ripe old age of - what was I when that show came out? - my mid-forties, my career suddenly changed after 20-odd years of knocking on the door.
Suddenly I was in a position where I was getting a lot more work and had greater opportunities, from which Queen’s Gambit was one of the jobs, as well as The Sisters Brothers, The Danish Girl you mentioned.
It’s opened so many more doors.It didn’t have quite the same global reach as, for example, The Queen’s Gambit, which was seen by, I don’t know how many millions, it was an extraordinary hit.
But in terms of life-changing impact, Boy Meets Girl was really an extraordinary chapter in my life, and I’m really incredibly grateful to the writers and the people who made that show, for giving me that opportunity.
I believe you’ve performed in the past at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin?
Yes, that’s right. I think it was 2018, I did a play with Fishamble at the Peacock Theatre. It was part of the International Theatre Festival in Dublin.
It was a play called Rathmines Road by Deirdre Kinahan and, as I said, it was a co-production with Fishamble, which is a wonderful Irish company, and The Abbey. It was a delightful experience to be in Dublin for a couple of months, with the rehearsals and the run.
And it was great to be in the city of my mother’s birth, where she lived for 25 years of her life, before she came to the UK.
Where’s your mother from?
She’s from Clontarf. When I was a kid, we used to come over every summer holiday and stay with the grandparents. I’ve very happy memories of long summer holidays on the Bull Island strand. It’s lovely.
When I was doing that play in Dublin a couple of years ago, I made a point of revisiting Clontarf, and where my mum had lived, and all of that. And it was a wonderful sense of almost coming home, if you know what I mean?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Apr 26-30. Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster.
