The Beast's Pen

Seeing this for the first time in the National’s Cottesloe almost exactly a year ago, it came across as an extraordinary work of theatre and left an indelible impression. Now, with a record number of Olivier awards and a sell-out run on Shaftesbury Avenue under its belt, it is well on its way to becoming an all-time landmark production. It has survived the transfer amazingly well; previously performed on a small stage with the audience on all four sides, it is now set in a cube which creates a sense of claustrophobia, reflecting the world of a boy with Asperger Syndrome; it also allows numbers and diagrams to be projected, for characters to climb and walk around walls and it makes the train/tube journey even more realistic and terrifying. There are a few cast changes; Niamh Cusack is still the teacher/narrator, but Johnny Gibbon had taken over from Luke Treadaway at this performance; he and the entire company are all superb. Seeing it again, it is still as thrilling, moving and life-affirming, but what strikes home most is the incredible feat of imagination by director Marianne Elliot in creating such a completely unique theatrical experience.