Revive Theatre 
Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne
Michelle Barter
24 September 2026
I had read the novel some time ago and so I was very interested to see how this was to be converted onto the stage. I was aware that it had enjoyed time in the West End but other than that I was as much in the dark as the dog was. I had encountered the technical director Dean Rawson in front of house who chatted to me about some of the aspects of the show and so, to walk into the auditorium to open tabs where you are confronted by the canine murder was a powerful start and at no point did anything lose its power. It, in fact, ramped everything up to the power of ten, which is a maths term I’m aware of, but not as much as the main character.
Christopher, played by Trae Walsh, is a demanding role for any artist but Trae entered into Christopher’s skin and stayed there; he was a joy to watch, even in the extremely painful moments. Every tic and stimming motion faithfully carried out with delicacy, never going over the top and therefore creating complete emersion into the life of an autistic young man of 15.
The empathy for this character is built around the very clever staging which is minimalist but technically wonderful, with black and white as a theme which is the world Christopher lives in; it’s either the truth or it’s lies, and grey isn’t understood, and don’t get him started on yellow or brown! A lot is made using cubes for seats, stairs, trains and even toilets; I want the lighting cubes, what clever devices they are! Everything has a place and it’s all well-choreographed between all the on-stage characters who shift everything around; I don’t think even a toe was out of place. The sound effects were bang on (literally), so everything can be mimed, but you get the real-world effect of the knock or door bell. All of the technical aspects are created so we as the audience can experience some of the sensory overload that is the modern-day life, with Tannoy announcements, advertising, underground trains and the masses of people pushing through to get to where they need to be.
There was a very large supporting cast for Christopher’s story who played multiple roles, jumping in and out of costume at a moment’s notice. Lisa Watkinson plays Siobhan who is a support worker in school, helping Christopher navigate life. She plays the role with sensitive empathy and understanding of his needs. David Cooper plays Ed the dad whom at one point I was going to report for safeguarding breeches; I didn’t like him, which meant he was great in his role as the flawed, stressed-out dad trying to do the right thing in all the wrong ways. Mum, played by Clare I’Anson, had to go through several emotions in quick succession which she portrayed very well. Multiple parts were played by the rest of the cast: Sean Beaumont, Chrissie Derrington, Simon Langford, Julie Sissons, Chris Stowe and Libby Russell. They all did such a fantastic job setting out the scenes, providing either crowd or individual character; they behaved like a very well-tuned Greek Chorus and this all added to the slickness of the show.
This was a fantastic, well produced gem of a play. There were so many wonderful surprises dotted throughout, and it really kept up that pace. I urge you to go out and buy your tickets for this one and join the rollercoaster of a play that starts off as a whodunnit and ends up being a story about bravery. Go on … feel the fear and do it anyway.
