Theatre

Neil Frame 28/01/25


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

What a charming, uplifting, tragic and inconceivably brilliant show this is.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is almost everything you’d never expect it to be, comprising a joyous first half (which makes it virtually impossible not to smile, whilst simultaneously attempting to take in the staggering achievement of this charismatic and multi-talented cast) and a second half which keeps its audience permanently on the verge of tears.

This adaptation of F. Scott Fitzerald’s short story (by writer, lyricist, director and stage designer Jethro Compton) sees the story of Benjamin Button – who’s born an old man, and then ages in reverse – transplanted to the coast of North Cornwall. And it feels as though you’re really there – listening to stories from an assortment of characters in an old Cornish pub, with a storm and waves all around you – thanks to the perfect set, dressed with salvaged items that have washed ashore in Cornwall; the cast’s Cornish accents; and an exquisite musical score composed by Darren Clark.

Benjamin button musical

The music here is the beating heart and soul of the production. Beautiful lyrics are laid over a rolling folk music and sea shanty-inspired score performed by a cast who not only are brilliant actors (playing several different roles each), but who also play all of the music themselves on a variety of instruments, throughout. They switch roles and swap instuments from beginning to end – from fiddles, guitars and cellos to pianos and flutes. The cast do it all (and more), and the combination of their brilliant performances with this emotional story and its beautiful music makes for a genuinely unique and extraordinary theatrical experience.

It’s actually very hard not to compare this with so many new musicals that have made it to the West End in recent years – direct adaptions of big American films set to musical scores that consist solely of well known pop songs, uncomfortably squeezed into the script… Heading into “Benjamin Button, The Musical!” it would be very easy to expect the same thing. But what Jethro Compton and Darren Clark have crafted together over the last seven years (which is how long it’s taken the show to become what is currently playing at the Ambassadors Theatre) couldn’t be further from those shows. Really it’s the polar opposite – bursting to the seams with originality and charm.

Benjamin button musical

Given that the show’s narrative has the passing of time as one of its main themes, it’s truly very special (and greatly appreciated) that time appears to stand almost completely still while watching it. And given that the show’s central theme is Home – in the sense of “discovering where one truly belongs” – it feels right that the show itself has now very deservedly found its own home in the West End.

Long may it remain!

 

Note: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button has now been extended at The Ambassadors Theatre until Sat 26th April 2025. Tickets are available here.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button | The Ambassadors Theatre, West St, London WC2H 9ND


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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


The Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9ND