The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Liverpool Empire

THERE are a lot of things that 15-year-old Christopher Boone can make sense of – routine, familiarity, computers and mathematical equations.

But the teenager also has Asperger's Syndrome which leaves him badly equipped to deal with everyday life. His poor social understanding and fear of strangers causes him to be confused, scared and disorientated.

As such, Christopher (Joshua Jenkins) is naturally an outsider but what makes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time so compelling is that it turns the tables on that.

The play, based on the novel by Mark Haddon, is told entirely from Christopher's point of view in a remarkable few days in his otherwise ordered life.

So you feel warmth for the character and all of his quirks from his love of Sherlock Holmes and train sets to his dreams of being an astronaut.

To most people on the outside Christopher is considered weird but by hearing his inner most thoughts he is extremely likeable.

And in a way that is the point – it will make you think about labels and how we tend to judge anyone who is different.

The story sees Christopher investigate the death of his neighbour's dog against his father's wishes.

This is where the highly intelligent teenager comes into his own as he has a systematic mind that can focus solely on a problem and see the facts of reality behind social appearances.

Christopher makes for a unique detective but his sleuthing leads to some remarkable discoveries about his family which change everything.

Some have previously thought that The Curious Incident could not be turned into a play but the transformation of Liverpool Empire's stage into Christopher's mindset was a wonder.

The electronic backdrop was incredible and used to show everything from Christopher's detective notes and moments of disorientation to things around him like his neighbourhood, a train and a tube station.

Balancing drama and humour, The Curious Incident is a powerful and moving production which gives fresh perspective on everything from mental health, labels and how our parents shape us.

- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is at Liverpool Empire until Saturday. Visit atgtickets.com

DAVID MORGAN