The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button musical at The Ambassadors Theatre is the latest iteration of a production that began with a sold-out run at Southwark Playhouse. After its initial success, including winning the 2024 Off West End Award for Best Musical Theatre Production, the show has made its way to the West End. This adaptation, crafted by writer-director Jethro Compton and composer-lyricist Darren Clark, reimagines F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story by relocating it to a fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall where Compton grew up. This familiar Cornish setting now lends the story a coastal, rural charm and provides an evocative backdrop for the tale of a man who lives his life in reverse.

The story follows Benjamin Button, who is born as an old man and, rather than aging conventionally, grows younger with time. Unlike the high-budget 2008 Hollywood film, it’s a well-worked musical script that drives this play along. Darren Clark has used every instrument at his disposal in this folk-inspired score, percussion, drums, strings, guitars, brass and keyboards. All cast member join in the foot stomping sea shanties that really make this production spring into life. John Dagleish as ‘Benjamin Button’ steals the show with some great one-liners alongside his love interest ‘Elowen’ Clare Foster in a multi-talented cast that exceed expectations across the board. The passage of time and realisation of what really matters sees Button sail the seas in search of a future that is slowly ebbing away.

The set, complete with twisted dark fishing nets, reflects the rustic nature of the Cornish seafaring village life with atmospheric lighting used to great effect. The score transports us along at pace allowing the audience’s imagination to fill in the unseen moments on stage. The music is woven seamlessly into the storytelling, serving as both atmospheric background and direct commentary on the unfolding events. The ensemble cast play multiple roles, coming together to deliver this well-crafted score, relentlessly marking the transition of time in this trouble tale which is at the heart of Button’s isolation.

This adaptation brings a fresh, regionally grounded perspective to the story, preserving the core of Fitzgerald’s narrative while making it distinctly its own. It's a choppy and turbulent retelling that tugs at your heartstrings in every sense but will not leave you bereft of all hope.