The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Christopher Boone is discovered next to the corpse of his neighbor's dog and is immediately accused of killing her beloved hound. Christopher professes his innocence, but nobody — neither the dog's owner, Mrs. Shears, nor his father — appears to take what he's telling them into account. Of course, Christopher has trouble understanding emotions and personal interaction; he's a bright young man, especially for a fifteen-year-old, but he just doesn't process people that well. So Christopher sets out to find the real dog-killer, which requires him to comprehend motivation and the many ways people fudge the truth. He's also going to have to go to London, a place that overwhelms him even when he's chaperoned by a responsible adult. This time, he'll go it alone. Simon Stephens won the 2015 Tony Award for his modern mystery The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is based on the novel by Mark Haddon. The Repertory Theatre St. Louis opens its new season with this unusual coming-of-age story. Performances take place Tuesday through Sunday (September 8 to October 1) at the Loretto-Hilton Center on Webster University's campus (130 Edgar Road; www.repstl.org). Tickets are $18.50 to $89.