"I can do anything," yells Christopher Boone — played by the excellent Scott Reid — at the end of a mesmerising opening night at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

Two and a half hours earlier and you'd have been forgiven for dismissing the proclamation as just another bizarre outburst from a peculiar young man, but as the play draws to a close you can't help but believe him.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time begins with autistic Christopher writhing around on the stage next to his neighbour's dead dog, Wellington.

The animal has been impaled on a garden fork and he is the prime suspect.

It's easy enough to solve the case but by the time the murderer comes clean you're too wrapped up in Christopher's beautifully literal mind to care.

Curious Incident is about far more than Wellington and Christopher's obsessive hunt for justice, it's about his own achievements, coming of age and growing self-belief. It's about how others treat him, difference and tolerance.

There's very little shade in Christopher's life - things are either black or white, right or wrong and that's very much reflected in the simplicity of the set.

He's at his most comfortable when drawing on the gridded walls and floor with white chalk or playing with the same train set over which he has complete control.

Areas outside his domain and routine are accompanied by deafening music, blinding lights and strange people.

That's the case when he loses his beloved rat Toby on an underground train track and embarks on an incredibly dangerous rescue mission.

It's a brilliant scene but one which leaves you concerned for the welfare of both Christopher and the real-life rat.

A big part of Curious Incident is the way other's treat Christopher. Wellington's owner Mrs Shears thinks he's a sadistic pet killer and the police judge him to be a strange nuisance.

His father struggles as any parent in his position would — he's been left to bring up a child with additional needs after his wife has run off with the neighbour.

But the bond the pair form makes for the most gripping scenes. When they violently clash you're completely involved and the two minutes of silence they share while watching the rain fall is impossible to tear yourself away from.

Simon Stevens has created a drama where one minute you're an observer and the next you're part of it, with almost no transition between the two.

Christopher solves the murder, evades the authorities to find his mother in London and gets an A* in his maths A Level at the age of 15 and all the while you're there, cheering him on — at points literally as the smattering of applause when he announces his exam grade attests for; it's slightly odd but stands testament to the extraordinary hold the performance has over you.

At points you wonder just how much longer the show will go on, it shows no sign of coming to any natural end and then suddenly, out of nowhere, everything is wrapped up perfectly.

There's issues too, it flits between audience participation and enthralling monologue in a way which jars slightly, while Matrix-esque sequences of Christopher running up walls and prancing like a cat burglar don't quite work.

But overall, Curious Incident is a triumph, it's not just a play but a journey and by the time it's over you'll feel both educated and uplifted.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is at the Marlowe until Saturday, March 11. Tickets range from £18.25 to £32.35, call 01227 787787 or visit marlowetheatre.com