By Brigid Amoroso

Staff Writer

On Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 17 and 18, Delaware County Community College students and employees were able to see the first performances of the campus production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” for free. The show is directed by Professor of Drama, Stephen Patrick Smith. Monday was the first time the show was performed in front of a live audience, marking the stage debut for some of the cast. The play runs from Nov. 19-22, and costs $10 for students and $15 for general admission.

Photography courtesy of Theater Department

The story of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” originated as a novel written by British author Mark Haddon in 2003. The story was adapted into a play by Simon Stephens in 2012, eventually making its way to London’s West End and achieving worldwide success.

The play follows 15-year-old Christopher Boone, who lives with his father in Swindon, England. Christopher is an excellent math student and has a very close relationship with his teacher, Siobhan. She helps him navigate and interact with the world around him as a young autistic boy. The tale begins when his neighbor’s dog is killed, and Christopher becomes determined to solve the murder.

The lead role of Christopher Boone is played by Javier Villagomez. This character can be quite difficult to portray because he has autism; Christopher cannot stand to be touched and has regular outbursts. There is a thin line between authenticity to a character and overexaggeration, but I thought Villagomez did an excellent job at balancing the two.

Gillian Keener, who has been in many other DCCC productions, portrays the character Siobhan. Siobhan helps to ground Christopher throughout the play, and Keener added a very light and humorous element to the production.

Since the play takes place in England, all the actors performed with an English accent. Keener’s accent was great, at least to my American ears. However, I thought the other accents were not as refined as hers.

Kayla Frantz, who played Christopher’s mother, Judy, was captivating on stage. The way she interacted with each of the characters was very entertaining. Frantz went all out with her performance, and it really paid off.

The use of props in this play really helped to bring the story to life, especially because there are not any significant set pieces. Danielle Marino was responsible for the prop design. I loved the colorful letters that fell over Christopher. I also thought the use of actors as props was executed very well.

Before seeing “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” at DCCC, I was already familiar with the story. Despite this, I can understand why some audiences could have a difficult time following the plot. The actors weren’t wearing microphones during this preview performance, and at some points, it was difficult to hear what they were saying.

There is still time left to see “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” at DCCC. The story is unique and entertaining, and Christopher Boone might even help you solve a math equation.