THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

The plot – with a preternaturally intelligent boy, a murdered pet, an absent mum and an illicit affair – may smack of soap, yet The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is more than the sum total of its parts. A Whitbread-winning novel marked by a very rare innocence (narrator and teen savant Christopher), articulated beautifully by writer Mark Haddon, it’s hard to imagine how this could be translated to the boards for this NT Live production (broadcast from a London theatre). Easier, though, when you know Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (War Horse) is behind the theatrical megaphone with Simon Stephens as playwright. Cheaper than a theatre ticket and with bonus popcorn! (AB)

Oct 6-7, Dendy Cinemas, $23-25, dendy.com.au
Oct 6-9 Riverside Theatres, cnr Church & Market Sts, Parramatta, $15-25, 8839 3399, riversideparramatta.com.au