James Marlowe and Philippa Hogg in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Southwark Playhouse, London. Picture: Jethro Compton Productions
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button continues at Southwark Playhouse, London – until 8 June 2019.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
In true Benjamin Button style, I’d like to start with my conclusion: this gorgeous new piece of British writing is a must-see – a magical, heart-rending show that will renew your faith in the power of musical theatre to whisk you away on an amazing journey through time and space. Do not miss it.
Perhaps better known as a cinematic vehicle for Brad Pitt, this story by F Scott Fitzgerald recounts the life of the eponymous Button, who is born as an old man and gets younger as he ages. But theatrical alchemists Jethro Compton (book and lyrics, also directs) and Darren Clark (music and lyrics) – plus an incredibly talented five-strong cast – have transfigured Fitzgerald’s rather slight short story into an absolutely beautiful musical rich in detail and folkloric charm.
This magical re-spinning of Fitzgerald’s 1922 yarn – uprooted from its original Baltimore setting and deposited on the salty, wind-swept coast of Cornwall – has pretty-much dispensed with the original’s rather perfunctory prose and turned the story into a sweeping, epic romance that will warm your cockles then break your heart.
The actor-muso cast – all of them worthy of the highest praise – tackle multiple roles, and multiple instruments. Matthew Burns, Rosalind Ford, Joey Hickman, Philippa Hogg and James Marlowe are clearly a talented and happy family, and they work together flawlessly. Their harmonies are to die for too.
Here, the Once-style actor-muso conceit feels natural and unforced, due in part to Clark’s contemporary folk leanings in the score. In his programme note, the composer admits to listening to a lot of Bellowhead and Mumford & Sons while writing the show, and the Celtic flavour means we’re treated to kit percussion, guitar, accordion, recorder, fiddle and trombone, as well as a piano and rather lovely cello. There’s even a bit of the Cornish language thrown in. You could be ensconced by the fire in a seaside tavern, glugging down a jug of Spingo and listening to a jam session from the salty locals.
Clark is a most accomplished composer/lyricist, and his score intertwines with Compton’s equally accomplished book seamlessly and organically. Each number is a one-act play, richly detailed and driving forward the story of Button’s backwards life. As a creative duo, Compton and Clark are a phenomenal force and I hope they continue to work together, as what they’ve created here is one of the best British musicals I’ve heard in a long time.
The presentation is also impressive, particularly given that it’s housed in Southwark’s smaller space. Two industrial fans at the back of the thrust stage ensure the entire audience is kept wind-swept throughout, and you can almost taste the salt as the wind blasts across Schönlatern’s set. This Viennese collective is responsible for the staging and lighting design, stringing the ceiling with fishing nets and old filament lightbulbs, and utilising simple wooden crates for every conceivable setting. Interestingly, the props are all sourced from clean-ups from the beaches of the north Cornwall coast. All very inventive.
Movement director Chi-San Howard needs commending for keeping the action flowing. The choreography – including some wonderful work with a couple of planks of wood – is wondrous, again all the more impressive given the tight space. And without saying too much to spoil the treat, puppetry comes into play, with marionettes by Kaile Lucas of In The Bellows also made from recovered beach debris.
I was also impressed with Michael Woods’ sound design – every word being crystal clear thanks presumably to suspended ceiling mics.
For a show that, I’m told, only started life less than a year ago, Benjamin Button is as shiny and as polished as a new… well, button! While shows as young as this are often in need of much more workshopping, this feels satisfyingly complete. Act I is a little on the long side, perhaps, but it’s so immersive and compelling – and ambitious in its scope – that I found the time flying by.
So, I urge you to catch this treasure of a show. We need to do all we can to encourage and support new musical theatre writing in the UK, especially when it looks and sounds as good as this. Benjamin Button certainly deserves to live a long, fruitful life after its SE1 debut.
While you’re in Southwark, buy a programme – if you’re a supporter of new musicals, you’ll likely to be fascinated by the producers’ ‘Open Books’ article on the cost of putting on a show of this size (touching £61,000, it would seem). Worth every penny…
Craig Glenday
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