Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Verdict
- Jul 23
- 5 min read
🌟VERDICT'S PICK 🌟
It’s rare to find a musical that toys with perfection—when it happens, it’s something truly special.
Opening in October of 2024 at The Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End following two critically acclaimed runs at the Southwark Playhouse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a masterpiece in storytelling. This new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story by Darren Clark and Jethro Compton (who also directs) sets the story in a fishing village on the Cornish coast and is propelled by a beautiful folk-infused score and a richly woven book with masterful dialogue and structure. After winning three Olivier Awards, including the coveted Best New Musical, the production quickly became one of the most talked-about shows of the season—and has since extended its run multiple times. This show is a breath of fresh air and a gorgeous celebration of life, love, and time we take for granted.
One of the most special parts about this production is the actor-musicianship of the entire ensemble cast. Every single performer onstage played a variety of characters in their ensemble (“Stranger”) track, but each track also included playing multiple instruments, such as the fiddle, accordion, and trumpet, to name a few. The entire company won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Contributions for their work, and that is very well deserved. The show sounded fantastic in the intimate Ambassadors theatre as the performers all impressively swapped instruments and characters in the blink of an eye. They each had moments to shine, whether through instrumental solos, vocal performances, or emotional character work. A standout moment comes early in the show with Philippa Hogg’s haunting solo, “The Kraken’s Lullaby,” performed in the role of Benjamin’s mother. She laments her child’s unnatural condition, building to an emotional crescendo. The moment culminates in a symbolic action—she disappears from view, consumed by grief—suggesting an emotional collapse rather than a literal act. It’s one of many powerful scenes that showcase the ensemble’s artistry and emotional depth.
Playing the title character, John Dagleish (who won Best Actor in a Musical at the Oliviers) brings one of the most memorable and impressive acting performances in recent memory. In the course of two and a half hours, he convinces the audience that he ages from a septuagenarian to an infant, playing each age as an entirely changed man. For his character to be as believable as it is, the actor has to fully embrace and commit to each age, which Dagleish did completely. His interactions with the other characters developed as well throughout his life. His early relationship with his father—who initially detests his existence—is played with moving subtlety, gradually shifting as the story progresses, endearing the audience to Benjamin. This is especially evident when his father comes back when Benjamin is physically younger and tries to help him salvage his broken relationship with his family, showing that he always cared, even if he didn't know how to express it. Also, Benjamin’s interactions with his own son, Lochryn, are equally heartbreaking, especially when he returns to Cornwall after abandoning his family out of shame for who he is. Though new to the show for its West End run, Dagleish perfectly inhabits Benjamin so fully it feels like he originated the role.
At the same time, Claire Foster plays, among others (including a sheep), Elowen Keene. Benjamin first meets Elowen when she is the bartender at the Pickled Crab, and later as they both age in opposite directions, they fall in love, eventually marrying and building a family. Not learning about Benjamin’s true nature until much later, Foster is delightful as the young bartender who helps a socially isolated Benjamin integrate into society—though her character, Elowen, doesn’t discover his true nature until much later and too late. When they finally reconnect and the truth comes out after their daughter’s tragic death, Foster plays Elowen’s feeling of betrayal with agonizing sadness as she watches Benjamin leave, too ashamed to stay with his family. Later, as Elowen grows older and becomes sick once Benjamin comes home, her decline and death are some of the saddest moments of the show, as she recalls a moment from earlier in the show, now taking on an entirely different meaning. Foster and Dagleish have one of the most beautiful yet heartbreaking relationships onstage through their characters—both truly are once-in-a-lifetime performances that lead the show.
Behind the performers is the set: multiple levels of dock-like wood structures to invoke the fishing village, filled with trinkets from Cornwall. Jethro Compton, who designed the set as well, created an ethereal space that still functioned as real locations and is infused with a magical sense, allowing this extraordinary show to feel at home. He also dressed the set with pieces of beach litter that were collected along the beaches of North Cornwall, grounding the setting in real-world objects. Zoe Spurr’s lighting only enhanced the beauty of the set, creating shadows, patterns, and colours to set the mood of the scene. Her design was dramatic and created some wonderfully striking visuals over the course of the show, especially during one underwater moment. Additionally, Anna Kelsey’s gorgeous and versatile costumes beautifully differentiated characters, giving each their own personality. Claire Foster’s costume changes were fascinating to watch throughout the show, because while she is not playing Elowen, she is a part of the ensemble and is dressed in bland colours, but as soon as she becomes Elowen, she dons a more vibrant dress to single her out. This idea is repeated throughout the rest of the ensemble in order to give status to the named roles while they are present, before they disappear back into the crowd of "Strangers."
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the most unique recent musicals for its affecting plot and storytelling techniques. The actor-musicianship of the entire company is nothing short of impressive and watching them sing, dance, and play their instruments for two and a half hours is sensational. Invested entirely in what was happening on stage, it became easy to forget that this was originally a much different, American narrative. Clark and Compton created such a brilliant adaptation that roots itself so deeply in Cornish identity through language, music, and setting, that any trace of the American version fades away. The story is vastly reimagined, remaining largely faithful to Fitzgerald’s original plot—yet through this new cultural lens, it becomes something far more resonant for British, especially Cornish, audiences. The show ultimately reminds us how precious time is and how we should cherish every fleeting moment—because, as the story reminds us, “time and tide wait for no man.”
5/5 stars
2 hours and 30 minutes, one interval
The Ambassadors Theatre
Through October 11, 2025
