The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Following its Olivier Award-winning premiere in London’s West End, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is making its North American debut for a limited Off-Broadway engagement at The Public Theater. This musical reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s didactic short-story fantasy was first published in Collier’s Magazine in 1922, as a short story that followed the life of a man who ages in reverse, from 70 to infancy, and comes to realize the preciousness of time and those he loves. (The story was adapted for an Oscar-nominated film of 2008, as well.)
Fitzgerald’s original was set in Baltimore in the 1860s, but the musical version by the British team of Jethro Compton (book and lyrics) and Darren Clark (music and lyrics) has been relocated to a Cornish fishing village in 1918, at the end of World War I. Fluidly directed by Compton, a company of eleven actors/musicians, most playing multiple instruments and roles, affect Cornish accents and dialects (voice and text coaching, Andrew Wade; dialect coaching, David Jarzen). Along with the local speech patterns, the music likewise employs Cornish folk stylings by Clark and Music Director Mark Aspinall that transport us to the southwest coast of England and its Celtic roots, as do Anna Kelsey’s period-style costumes.
The tale unfolds through the interweaving of direct-address narration and enacted scenes, with 23 original musical numbers, accompanied by active movement around the stage and bursts of spirited dance (choreography by Chi-San Howard). As each life event is recounted, a member of the company announces the precise date and time, and often Button’s age, to make us aware of time’s relentless passage, and his growing younger with every passing year.
As Benjamin Button, Tony nominee Andrew Durand subtly embodies the physical, vocal, psychological, and emotional changes in his character’s regressive aging process. He conceals his temporal anomaly, and ultimately understands true love and the need to embrace every minute of life while he can. Benjamin recognizes the veracity of the oft-quoted maxim, “Time and tide wait for no man.”
The outstanding Kelsee Kimmel, in the role of Elowen, a barmaid and the love of his life, portrays her character with self-assurance and patience, understanding and sensitivity. She embraces her never-ending devotion to Button, despite his shyness, uncertainty, and self-blame, which cause long years of separation between them.
Morgan Morse as Little Jack, Benjamin’s best friend, contributes touches of camaraderie and humor; Little Jack happily teaches him how to perform his tasks on the ship and peppers his talk with malapropisms and misquotations of well-known adages. In contrast with this upbeat mood (until it isn’t) is the attitude of Benjamin’s parents, portrayed by Brandon J. Ellis and Sachiko Mae, who, embarrassed by his condition from birth, lock him away in the attic for no one to see. They and Morwenna Keene, their judgmental midwife and Elowen’s mother (Katie Horner), try their best to destroy the loving relationship between their children and to prevent their marriage. Rounding out the multi-talented company are Britney Coleman, Trevor Lindley Craft, Kris Saint-Louis, Claire-Frances Sullivan, and Matt Wolpe, all masterfully contributing to the rich harmonies, array of characters, and resounding moral that it’s all “A Matter of Time.”
It’s all staged on a stationary four-level set of distressed wooden floorboards, stairs and ladders, platforms, boxes, ropes and nets, in keeping with the maritime tradition of Cornwall and the titular character’s time spent working aboard a ship and serving in the Navy in WWII (scenic design by Compton). With the stacking of the boxes and the use of a few props (by Aspinall), including blankets and beer mugs, the locations easily shift from the attic bedroom where Benjamin was kept hidden, to the dock and ships where he labored, and the pub he regularly visited, where he first met Elowen. Sound (Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound) enhances the setting with lapping water, the cries of seagulls, and blowing wind, and lighting (Zoe Spur) indicates the times of day, shines a spotlight on the featured performers, and illuminates the titular lyrics of “The Moon and The Sea.”
This captivating production of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and its masterful cast of triple threats not only entertain but deliver an important message we should all live by. As simply put by the 19th‑century American orator Robert G. Ingersoll, the time to be happy is now.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
At The Public Theater
425 Lafayette St.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, one intermission
Through December 20, 2026
