The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Southwark Playhouse Elephant ★★★★★

When Jethro Compton (book and lyrics) and Darren Clark’s (music and lyrics) musical take on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button first sang its way onto the Southwark Playhouse stage in 2019, it was performed almost in-the-round by a tight cast of five. More importantly, it felt like the hidden gem of London’s theatre scene; the musical more people should be shouting about, deserving of an instant transfer or extended run. Well, four years and one pandemic later, and it’s back, this time as an end-on production at the theatre’s new sister site, Southwark Playhouse Elephant, and with a cast more than double the size. It’s lost none of its original charm, though, and still brims with genuine, infectious passion.

Sharing only the central premise of Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story, on which it's based, or indeed of the 2008 movie starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, Compton and Clark’s musical transports the story of a man ageing backwards against the clock from North America to a Cornish fishing village that’s initially recovering from World War I. It’s a curious shift, but it beds in instantly, and after a few sea shanties stamped out on the play’s wooden decking, sung under fishing nets and festoon lighting – all writer-director Compton’s own stage design – there’s even a sense that in this seaside village, the story has found its natural home.

The company. Photo: Juan Coolio

Bringing West End pizzazz to the new production is Olivier-winning Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) in the central role of Benjamin. He captures all the tender vulnerability and heart-on-sleeve innocence of his character, while also blending into the tight 12-strong cast of actor-musicians bringing this story to life. Moving seamlessly under Chi-San Howard’s choreography, which weaves in the nimble transportation of props around the stage, each cast member shape-shifts between the story’s fleeting roles, while remaining armed with their primary musical instrument. In fact, if they were to stage a concert as a folk band, this reviewer would be first in line for a ticket.

Unlike Fitzgerald’s original, Compton’s Benjamin Button is primarily a love story. After being spurned and shamed for his differences by his family, who are too afraid to introduce their son to the village, Benjamin eventually finds sanctuary in the arms of local bar girl Elowen. And while further tragedies await in this twisting tale of a life lived against the tide, a clear message of finding acceptance and embracing difference holds fast.

Heartwarming, folky and much more compelling than the film, this musical take on Benjamin Button deserves to live a long, celebrated life on stage.