The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time played with emotional bite at Royal MTC

The set for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (designed by T. Erin Gruber)is framed by jagged geometric panelsresembling bits of broken glass, or perhaps pieces of a puzzle that look like they should fit together, but don't quite.

And for our central character, Christopher Boone (Edmund Stapleton), much of life is a puzzle that needs to be solved from complex math equations to the mystery of who killed his neighbour's dog to the most basic human interactions.

The 2012 multiple Tony Award-winner (seeing its Canadian premiere in this co-production of the Royal MTC and Edmonton's Citadel Theatre, where it openedlast month) is part murder mystery, part family drama and part meditation on differenceand how we live or don't with those who think and behave differently.

Although never explicitly stated, it seems 15-year-old Christopher is somewhere on the autism spectrum. He has an incredible aptitude for math, amazing powers of observationand a steel-trap memory. But metaphor is incomprehensible to him, and being touched can send him into a wild panic.

When his neighbour's dog turns up dead,he sets out to solve a mystery, which will involve talking to the people who live on his street.

It's a bold step for Christopher, and the first in a series he'll undertake that would be commonplace to many of us, but become epic feats of bravery for him.

Simon Stephens' script is based on Mark Haddon's acclaimed 2003 novel. And rather than struggle with the challenge of adaptation, Stephens' script embraces it.

Christopher's story is conveyed through a book he writes as a school project, which is read to us by his teacher, Siobhan (played with graceful charm by Cherissa Richards). So it becomes a narrated play-within-the-play, and takes on a storybook-like quality one thatis enhanced by Heidi Malazdrewich's smartly creative direction.

The West End and Broadway productions of The Curious Incident were hailed for their high-tech, immersive design. The approach here is generally far less high-tech simple effects like banners brought on by actors to imply the walls of a roomor choral movement move us quickly from one location to another and take us into Christopher's world.

There is some very effective use of projection and sound (courtesy of designers Joel Adria and Elijah Lindenberger), often combining to create a powerfully unsettling sense that helps us understand how Christopher feels. At points, though, their use felt almost too muted, as though the production wasn't entirely sure how to incorporate them to full effect.

There are likewise a few too-muted moments in the performances from the 10-person ensemble, but by and large they work. Stapleton is superb in the lead, not reducing Christopher to ticks and quirks but crafting a three-dimensional character who happens to interact somewhat differently with the world around him than many of us might.

There are also many fine moments from the supporting cast,most of whom play multiple roles. Robb Paterson stands out with some impeccable comic timing in a couple of small roles, proving the old adage that it's not the size of the part but what you do with it.

The script itself, too, generally works, if not always perfectly. The first act of the 135-minute (with intermission) play feels like it takes a while to set up a revelation that can be seen coming from a ways off. Its real dramatic tension comes in a faster-paced second act.

But Stephens writes excellent dialogue, and laces his script with plenty of laughs though importantly, never at the expense of Christopher.

He's crafted an inspiring, emotionallypowerful story, but one that avoids clich, particularly with the resonant question that ends the play.

And in Christopher, Stephens gives us a protagonist who may sometimes behave differently, but whom we can still relate to.

Becausehaven't we all been the curious odd person out at one point or another?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs at the Royal MTC's John Hirsch Mainstage until Nov. 12.