I love the theatre. I have learned though, that in order for me to actually go, I need to subscribe and commit to go on a regular basis. Can you relate? I won’t buy one-off tickets even with the best of intentions. Our Playhouse Square in Cleveland has an amazing Broadway Series that is great for this. I often call them my “seven dates per year.” There have been many times that I’ve arrived at the theater not knowing what a play is about, but that’s okay. The surprise factor is pretty fun for me.
Earlier this spring, I was getting ready to see the production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time”. Several people, knowing my connection to Autism, asked if I knew that this was a significant part of the play. I had not read the book so I was most “curious” to see this particular performance.
I found the play so unique with its walls of LCD screens and depictions of what might be going on in the main character’s mind. I was more struck though, by seeing some of the real life signs of Autism right in front me. One particular thing that stood out to me may not have been noticed by anyone else in the audience if they didn’t have a deep familiarity with Autism. During a dialogue between the parents, the son starts to straighten all the chairs into a perfectly straight row. I almost gasped out loud. This was something our son did all the time.
It encouraged me to find this clip of my son Joshua and his chairs. He had a few different designs but you can clearly see the precision.
I’d love to know: Have you read this book or seen this play? What resonated for you?
Mom note – Joshua has just turned age 3 in this video and his delay in speech is also pretty evident.
