Little Lark of London

“Time and tide behaved a little differently”

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, an adaptation of the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of a man who is born at the age of seventy and ages backwards, focusing on the difficulties he faces being ostracised from society by his horrified parents. In this particular version of the show, the Buttons are based in a Cornish fishing town, bringing audiences into the lives of the villagers through folk music and dancing. The show is the brainchild of Jethro Compton, who is responsible for the book and lyrics and is also the director and stage designer, and Darren Clark, who is responsible for music, lyrics, orchestrations and arrangements. 

John Dagleish stars as the titular character, who begins his life at the age of seventy and ages backwards, a feat which is theatrically achieved through costume changes and Dagleish changing his posture and performance. Dagleish is a phenomenal actor and it is wonderful to watch how he is able to transform himself throughout the show while still keeping the essence of the charact the same. Benjamin Button’s love interest, Elowen Keene, is played by Clare Foster, who also accompanies on piano and percussion and has a second role as The Sheep (a delightful minor role). 

The star of the show is truly the music, which is brought to life by the incredible cast who all sing and play a range of instruments. Each of the performers are credited by not only the role they play but the instruments they play as well, with the majority playing multiple roles and instruments! I particularly enjoyed watching Oonagh Cox as she dances around the stage with her bag full of instruments, pulling out flutes and whistles as needed for different songs while still remaining expressive. The music is wonderfully complemented by the choreography of Chi-San Howard who puts a heavy emphasis on the importance of circles and time

The set, designed by Compton, is stunning and truly immerses the audience in the Cornish fishing town. Very little of the set is changed throughout the show, which puts the main focus on the performers, as it should be. I particularly loved the emphasis on the unevenness of the wooden planks and the many hidden spaces throughout the set, as they really give one an idea of what it is like to live in a small town near the sea, playing and hiding as you grow. Lighting Designer Zoe Spurr and Sound Designer Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound do a fantastic job of working with the set and the performers on it to create a beautiful atmosphere, changing the tones of the lights and sound depending on the mood of the scenes. 

The easiest comparison one can make with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is with Come From Away, another folk-based musical that heavily focuses on its ensemble and musicians. While one is based on fact and another fiction, they share similar themes of time and compassion. Some moments are a bit too similar for me, including those in which specific moments in time are stated by date and year, something that pulled me out of some of the quieter moments of the show. 

There were a few things that kept The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from being a perfect musical, including the comparisons to Come From Away previously mentioned. Sometimes the lyrics are a bit too expositional, leaving one wishing that they had trusted the audience a bit more in showing and not telling everything that is happening on stage. The heavy emphasis on time is one that is difficult to forget and the audience does not need as much reminding as it receives over the show. While I enjoyed the performances, I did not fully understand the choice to have so many roles swap genders, like Mr and Mrs Gladstone (Oonagh Cox and Matthew Burns).

Ultimately, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a heartbreakingly beautiful musical that does a fantastic job of taking a work and adapting it in a way that breathes fresh life into it. Dagleish and the entire cast give incredible performances that make one feel as though they have been an ensemble forever, dancing and telling the story of Benjamin Button day after day, year after year.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button runs from 10 October 2024 to 15 February 2025 at the Ambassadors Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner