Curious Incident UK tour makes stage first as Brooks and McFadden join cast
Curious Incident tours the UK with Brooks and McFadden as Alex Keenan and Imi Price become the first women to play Chris Boone.
A new UK production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is bringing a major change to the acclaimed stage story, with Alex Keenan and Imi Price becoming the first women to play the central role of Chris Boone.
The pair alternate as Chris throughout the tour, while EastEnders favourite Charlie Brooks plays her mother Judy and Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden takes on the role of her father Ed. The production is touring venues across the UK into May 2027.
Adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time begins when Chris discovers that a neighbour’s dog has been killed. What starts as an attempt to uncover who was responsible leads her into a much bigger investigation, with secrets closer to home challenging everything she understands about her family, independence and the world around her.
For Charlie, the production marks another major stage role alongside her television work as Janine Butcher in EastEnders. Her recent theatre credits have included Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the National Theatre production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Joe is also familiar to television audiences from roles including Holby City and Heartbeat, while he won Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. His theatre credits include The Shawshank Redemption and 2:22 A Ghost Story.
The decision to cast Alex and Imi as Chris gives the new production one of its biggest differences from previous versions of the story. Earlier stage productions followed the novel in presenting the central character as Christopher, while this touring production introduces a new interpretation of Chris and her journey.
The original National Theatre production became one of the most successful British plays of recent years after premiering in 2012, later winning seven Olivier Awards before transferring to Broadway and collecting five Tony Awards.
This latest staging is a new production rather than a recreation of the National Theatre version, with new direction and its own design, movement and music. It is directed by Ned Bennett and produced by Melting Pot and Birmingham Rep.
Among the upcoming dates is a run at the Grand Opera House York from October 27 to October 31, 2026, where performances include evenings and selected matinees.
The wider tour continues through cities including Liverpool, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff before the currently announced schedule concludes in Darlington in May 2027.
