Peterborough audiences to see this century’s most popular murder mystery

The remarkable play - this century’s most popular murder mystery – which combines a crime with family drama and an insightful portrait of neurodivergence, is adapted by Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens and helmed by visionary director Ned Bennett.

This new staging of the show (at New Theatre from June 8-12) also sees the first-ever female casting of the neurodivergent teenage protagonist, now named Chris Boone, bringing a fresh perspective to an iconic character.

The cast is led by two audience favourites as Chris’s parents. Charlie Brooks, beloved for playing Janine Butcher on EastEnders, is Judy. Joe McFadden, known for TV dramas like The Crow Road, plays such as 2:22 A Ghost Story, and for winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, plays Ed.

Judy is absent from Chris’s life when the story begins, while Ed is struggling as, essentially, a single dad.

When did you first encounter The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?

Charlie Brooks: I read the book a long time ago and then I saw the National Theatre production when it was on in the West End. I thought it was extraordinary. I was so excited when I heard the play was coming back – I immediately wanted to know what the vision was, how they were planning to bring this story life, and how it might be different in this production. Joining the show was an absolute no-brainer.

Joe McFadden: I read the book back in 2003, like most of the rest of the UK, and loved it. I reread it recently and was blown away all over again. The story gives you such a brilliant insight into a neurodivergent person’s inner life, their imagination, their world. That’s why it was so groundbreaking: It really luminated that experience.

Tell us about your character

Brooks: She’s written with so much complexity. She’s flawed, as are many characters within the play. But she’s really doing her best. She’s found herself in a situation where she was unable to cope with the challenges in front of her and she didn’t feel like she had much choice. It’s a horrible question to contemplate: what if me leaving is the best thing for my child?

McFadden: Ed is up against it. He’s a single father, working full time, putting food on the table, looking after a house and parenting a child who has specific needs. You can understand why he has difficulties in coping and hopefully we don’t judge him too harshly. I remember when I firstread the book and thinking “Would I do better in this difficult situation?”.

How does the representation of a neurodivergent character land differently now?

Brooks: There were far fewer people diagnosed when the novel was first out, or when the show was originally on, compared to now, when this is something that’s much more talked about. That’s a brilliant thing: there’s much deeper understanding and completely different language in the way we discuss neurodiversity today. The conversation has been blown wide open, and so it felt important to bring the play into 2026. But there’s still a way to go, and plays like this, which put the audience right in Chris’s experience and allow them to experience the world through Chris’s eyes, help so much.

McFadden: In some ways we’ve moved on a lot and we do know more about neurodivergence, but there’s still a way to go and this a story that still needs to be told. Chris has this amazing brain in so many ways– she’s so adept at these complex mathematical problems but struggles with some things that neurotypical people take for granted. Bringing that to life is exciting: expressing on stage how her mind works.

How does making Chris a female character change the production?

Brooks: The gender swap gives a completely fresh perspective on the story and the characters. My understanding is that girls who are neurodivergent often have a different journey: there’s a lot of masking of symptoms, so they may not get diagnosed, or not as soon as boys. Simon Stephens and Mark Haddon are very much on board with the change and all the new things it throws up.

The girls who are playing Chris are incredible – they’re just buzzing for it, they have this amazing energy. And I love Joe [McFadden], he’s the best. The whole cast are just wicked.

McFadden: There aren’t as many stories about neurodivergence told from a female perspective, and girls are often diagnosed later in life because they can be very good at masking or hiding the ways they’re struggling. It felt really important for us to tell this story from a female point of view. In the same way that lots of neurodiverse teenage boys came to see the show last time and felt that their story was being told, hopefully teenage girls will now have that same experience.

Tickets for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at New Theatre from June 8-12 are on sale at www.newtheatre-peterborough.com