At 27, Joshua Jenkins’ youthful looks proved just right for a top role, he tells Katherine MacAlister

Joshua Jenkins is rather bored of being asked for ID every time he goes out for a drink.

He’s 27 years old now and although his friends find it hilarious, the novelty is beginning to wear off. “I’m not old enough yet for it to be flattering so I just take it with a pinch of salt,” he tells me.

But his youthful looks have, however, stood him in good stead for landing what he sees as “the part of a lifetime” as 15-year-old Christopher, the lead in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, coming here via The National Theatre.

Which of course is significant in itself because the stage show is based on the famous book by Oxford’s own Mark Haddon, who will be watching the touring adaption at the New Theatre in person.

No pressure then? “Well, even though I hadn’t seen the play before I got the part, the book has been like a Bible to me and I’ve done a lot of research, speaking to children and their parents about autism, going into schools, watching documentaries and films about it,” Joshua says. “Because although Christopher is never officially categorised as autistic in the book, he’s definitely on the spectrum. And the play is quite true to the book, so totally all-consuming.

“But as The Curious Incident is Mark’s creation, yes I will be a bit nervous about him coming to see the play, above anyone and everyone else.”

Even though Joshua isn’t a method actor, he says he’s so immersed in the part, that Christopher is quite hard to shake off at the end of every day: “Christopher is such a lovely character that he has really changed my outlook on the world. There is one moment when he’s going through a difficult time and he looks up at the stars in the sky to remember how insignificant his own problems are, and I take great comfort from that. It’s one of my favourite moments in the play.”

Those of you wondering how a play about an autistic boy trying to solve a mystery will translate onto the stage have underestimated the production itself. Indeed the tour has been restricted to the theatres that can fit in the vast and complicated stage.

“The production bombards your senses and gets right into Christopher’s brain. It’s such a simple and gorgeous story with the production values of a West End show,” Joshua promises, “so the results are really exciting and unique.”

The story is also very poignant and addresses not just Christopher’s outlook but what his parents and teachers also go through. “I didn’t realise when I took on the part how much of a responsibility we have in the show because it has had a massive impact on how people view autism. As a result, we really feel we are part of something special.

“So it’s a story that should be told. And I’m just glad they picked me to tell it because chances like this don’t come around very often,” he tells me.

Joshua, who hails from Swansea, knows Oxford well, having played at the Oxford Playhouse in the recent production of Dunsinane, so is looking forward to a spot of punting and visiting some of the local hostelries. I just hope he remembers to take his ID card out with him.

SEE IT
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is at Oxford New Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday next week.
Call 0844 8713020 or see atgtickets.com/oxford