The Curious Incident ...

Joys of Toronto, #6742: saw in the paper that the National Theatre stage adaptation of Mark Haddon's brilliant novel "The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime" was going to be showing at Cineplex, in one of those fantastic stage-to-film showings that are so welcome. Hopped on my bike at 6.40 and was there as the curtain rose at 7. An astonishing evening of theatre, beautifully adapted from the book, beautifully directed, designed, conceived, and especially acted with the lead, Luke Treadaway, utterly convincing as a 15-year old boy with Asperger's. I sat, thrilled with the play, thrilled with myself for getting there so easily, for being smart enough to live downtown in the fourth best city to live in, in the world.

And then ... intermission. I love going alone to the theatre, movies, concerts - it's so uncomplicated, zip there, slide into a good solo seat, enjoy. But I do not like intermissions. At the theatre I can get a glass of wine and wander, but here in the wilderness of Cineplex, not possible. I'd forgotten to bring a book, and it was getting dark. So I left and had cycled home by the time the second act began. I'm sure it was fantastic, but I've read the book, and I just did not want to sit for 20 minutes. Forgive me, National Theatre, and thank you for a stunning Act One.