ACTOR David Michaels admits he has fallen under the spell of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

On Saturday, the curtain will rise at the Lowry on the multi-award winning play based on the best selling book by Mark Haddon.

David plays Ed, father of the main character Christopher,

He said: “I have been excited about doing plays before but genuinely I’ve never been so excited on so many levels as I have with this.

“We feel as though we are carrying the torch as the show ends in London in June but we will be touring the country until September.”

In just over three years, Curious has picked up awards on both sides of the Atlantic both for its technical brilliance and its cast performances.

“No pressure there then,” laughed David, who will be returning to his native North West with the tour.

“But there is something special about this show. There is this weird combination. It’s really simple theatre with all this huge technical stuff on the top.”

The hi-tech set, which often represents what’s going on inside maths genius Christopher’s head, set new standards for stage design.

David said he went to see the production just before getting the role.

“I got the notification about the audition on the Monday and went to see it on the Wednesday,” he said.

“I read it and thought it was an amazing script and so I thought I’d just like to see it.

“But because it’s such a massive show, what I saw has no bearing on my own version of Ed because I started from scratch with the character from the first rehearsal.”

Being a dad of a teenage son has, David says, helped with his understanding of Ed and particularly Christopher.

“Being a dad does give you a shorthand to the role,” he said. “Having been a parent you know the frustrations of a child and how sometimes the slightest thing can make them can kick off.

“If you magnify that by a 100 that allows me to build a picture of Christopher’s frustration.”

But David is quick to point out that Curious is a very uplifting play.

“It’s genuinely very funny,” he said. “But I think one of the keys is that it’s such a hopeful play.

“The adults in the show have got dreams which haven’t come to fruition but Christopher is the clearest thinking person in the play. in a way.

“He’s full of hope, he wants to do his maths A level and he wants to be a scientist and he has such great belief in all these things.”

A totally new cast will be taking Curious on tour.

“I think that it’s easier as an actor to take the show on tour than be in the West End for a year.

“You have that excitement about discovering a new theatre, you arrive at the venue where you’re treated like rock stars and you have an audience that can’t wait to see the production.

“What’s not to love about that?

“We all feel very privileged to be part of the Curious story.”

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the Lowry, Salford Quays, Saturday until Saturday, February 4. Details from 0843 208 6000