The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Review: The Musical’s Real Mystery Is Its Hero
A familiar tale, relocated
The musical takes its premise from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 story: Benjamin Button is born an old man and grows younger as time passes. The 2008 film starring Brad Pitt also reworked the source, earning 13 Oscar nominations without major category wins.
A broad musical comedy
Benjamin is played by Durand, who uses a stoop and thrust jaw to suggest the character’s advanced age at birth. As Benjamin grows younger, he shifts toward a livelier physical style, dancing with children and running off like one.
The ensemble plays multiple roles and accompanies the action on instruments. Clark’s music has a rollicking feel, while songs including “Rag Ty Yw Tre,” “The Western Wind” and “The Tide Is Comin’ In” draw on themes of nature and time.
The story’s moral problem
Benjamin marries Elowen Keene, a younger barmaid played by Kelsee Kimmel. As she grows older and he grows younger, he leaves her. The musical gives his departure a different motivation from Fitzgerald’s story, but the review argues that the revision makes his betrayal more cruel.
Kimmel brings warmth and comic energy to Elowen, but the character is given little beyond meeting Benjamin’s needs. The production acknowledges the harm of his leaving, yet its quick move toward forgiving him makes that response troubling. The musical is playing at the Public Theater until Dec. 20.
Key points
- The musical opened Off-Broadway at the Public Theater, setting the story in post-World War I Cornwall.
- Durand plays Benjamin Button, who is born old and ages in reverse.
- The production combines comic performances with rollicking music and songs about nature and time.
- The review criticizes the musical for rushing to forgive Benjamin after he leaves Elowen.