For Bernards High School’s 2022 fall play, the cast performed Simon Stephens’ “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” based on Mark Haddon’s novel. The play’s protagonist is a 15-year-old autistic boy named Christopher. This initially sparked some alarm throughout the cast, as they debated how they would put on a performance without potentially offending others. Viewers entered the PAC curious to see how they handled the situation, but the result was a pleasant surprise.
The success of the play is largely attributed to the stellar performance of Max Lukes ’23, who played Christopher and never crossed a line between acting and insulting. Spectators were captivated by the raw emotion that he brought to the stage and found themselves rooting for his character throughout the whole play. His fellow cast member Gabby DeNicola ‘24 stated, “Max was phenomenal and gut-wrenching. He did an amazing job portraying something that ought to be portrayed more.”
Fans appreciated many of the stylistic choices that the director marcus harvey made, one in particular being the screen in the back. There is a scene in the play where Christopher is trying to navigate through a train station, while also feeling extremely lost and scared. While the scene was going on, there was also a screen in the background which played a gif of a sped-up, first-person view of a train station. The inclusion of the screen added to the element of confusion, and was aesthetically pleasing as well. Another interesting detail were the scenes when Christopher was home and the screen displayed a map of the house. It would show when the characters would move from room to room, making it easier for the audience to follow along. The screen in the back helped the scenes flow, and was overall a very unique and effective idea.
Overall, the play as a whole was really well executed. Not one person forgot their lines or stuttered, which is even more impressive considering the fact that they spoke in British accents. Every person owned their role and put in the energy that makes Bernards High School plays so good.
