The Curious Incident comes to York's Grand Opera House

York's Grand Opera House is about to host one of the most acclaimed plays of the last decade. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the Olivier Award-winning stage hit, lands on Cumberland Street for a run from 27 to 31 October, and it is the kind of production that is as much about how it looks and sounds as what it says.

The story is based on Mark Haddon's 2003 novel, adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens. It follows 15-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone, a maths genius with Asperger's Syndrome, who decides to investigate the mysterious death of his neighbour's dog, Wellington. The plot takes him from Swindon to London, and the production is famous for how it puts the audience inside Christopher's head. Directed by Ned Bennett, it uses lights, sound and tactile elements to build a sensory experience that mirrors the way Christopher processes the world around him. It is a National Theatre production made in association with Frantic Assembly, with movement direction by Steven Hoggett and Scott Graham, which explains why the physical life of the show is so central to it.

The cast is a strong one: Alex Keenan plays Christopher, with Charlie Brooks as Judy, Joe McFadden as Ed, Bridgette Amofah as Siobhan and Alex Murdoch as Mrs Alexander. It runs for two hours and forty minutes, including one interval, and is suitable for audiences aged 11 and over, so it is a safe bet for a family night out with older children. The play first opened at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe in August 2012 and went on to sweep seven Olivier Awards in 2013, including Best New Play, Best Director and Best Actor, before moving to the West End and eventually to Broadway, where it picked up five Tony Awards in 2015, Best Play among them.

A bit of background on the people behind it gives you a sense of the pedigree on offer. Mark Haddon's novel won the Whitbread Book of the Year, the Guardian Prize and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2003. Ned Bennett, who directs this production, trained at the Royal Court, the National Theatre and LAMDA, and has picked up UK Theatre Awards for Best Director on Pomona and Yen and for Best Play Revival on Equus. The Grand Opera House itself is a fitting setting: it opened as a variety theatre in 1902 and was extensively restored in 1988, so it has a history that matches the scale of a show like this.

If you are planning to go, a couple of practical things are worth knowing. The box office opens 90 minutes before the show, the venue is cashless, and photography and filming are not allowed during the performance. Children aged 18 months to 15 need their own ticket and must be supervised, and children under three are not admitted unless the event says otherwise. On the plus side, the theatre is well-equipped for access, with wheelchair access, hearing loops and BSL interpreted performances available. It is a production that has travelled the world and collected a shelf full of awards, so seeing it land in York is a genuine treat for anyone who loves theatre.