Author Mark Haddon doesn’t diagnose the main character of his breakthrough 2003 novel, A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, as being autistic. But the way he captures the voice of Christopher, a young man with rigid routines and unflagging honesty whose entire conception of the world comes apart, puts readers close—closer than anyone before—to the mind of someone on the spectrum.
That sensation is only amplified in the stage adaptation of Haddon’s book, developed in London by playwright Simon Stephens and currently in production at Portland Center Stage. Christopher’s inner world is made real thanks to a marvelous performance by Jamie Sanders and PCS’ ingenious staging. So real, in fact, it had this father of a kid on the spectrum in tears within the first 10 minutes.