About a decade ago, Mark Haddon wrote a novel called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" about a young who is determined to figure out who killed his neighbor's dog. The book was very well-received, especially for its portrayal of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Now the book has been brought to life on London's West End in a stage adaptation, directed by Marianne Elliott ("War Horse"). Like the book, the play follows Christopher (Luke Treadaway) as he searches for Wellington the dog's killer, helped and hindered by his father, Ed (Paul Ritter), his teacher, Siobhan (Niamh Cusack), and others.

As a stage adaptation, "Curious" works, to an end. One of the book's greatest successes is its ability to transport the reader into Christopher's mind and understand how he perceives the world. On some levels, the play does this quite successfully, particularly with Paule Constable's lighting design playing against Bunny Christie and Finn Ross' set design to create a constantly-changing and often-terrifying world.

Unfortunately, the main focus of a piece like this is on the acting, and that is the main place where the play occasionally falls short. While Treadaway does a commendable job in creating a believable character in many aspects, under Elliott's direction, there are a few moments where it reads as jokes being made at the expense of autism, instead of humorous moments arising naturally out of something real. Likewise, many moments with the supporting characters are heavily stylized and become grating, though they are offset by a few tender, loving moments that are much more believable.

This dichotomy between stylization and realism is furthered by Steven Hoggett and Scott Graham's movement, which, at its best moments, is incredibly evocative, easily showing the inner workings of Christopher's mind. At other times, though, it is distracting, and the movement becomes so abstract as to make the audience hyperconscious of the fact that they are watching a play. This is furthered by the text's self-awareness and jokes to the audience, which seem out of place in a dramatic piece.

There are many things that "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" does well, and it's refreshing to see theater that pushes the form beyond its conventional boundaries. The show has the potential to make a great impact, but its shortcomings unfortunately prove too detracting.

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"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is playing at the Apollo Theatre (31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ) through October 24. Tickets are £12-£85. More information can be found at CuriousOnStage.com.