The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Off-Broadway Reviews

Unfortunately, I don’t think all the time in the world would change “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” into my kind of show. For one thing, the two hour and 45 minute British production, remade at the Public Theater with a U.S. cast, hits on...

Unfortunately, I don’t think all the time in the world would change “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” into my kind of show. For one thing, the two hour and 45 minute British production, remade at the Public Theater with a U.S. cast, hits one musical idea — a folksy Celtic reel — and then never veers. This starts out joyfully, but it palls. Man is born as an old guy? Folksy Celtic reel. Man enters World War II? Folksy Celtic reel.

It’s a truism, or a truth, that people rarely feel inside as old as they are. Or for that matter as young. F. Scott Fitzgerald played upon this idea with gently satiric invention in his story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which has bee...

It’s a truism, or a truth, that people rarely feel inside as old as they are. Or for that matter as young. F. Scott Fitzgerald played upon this idea with gently satiric invention in his story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which has been adapted into a jaunty and moving musical now at the Public Theater after being produced to a warm reception in London.

And then there’s “When E’re She Looked at Me,” the infectious jig that feels like both remembering and discovering giddy romance. It could be a staple at any Dublin pub, but in this tale, it recounts the beginnings of the great love story bet...

And then there’s “When E’re She Looked at Me,” the infectious jig that feels like both remembering and discovering giddy romance. It could be a staple at any Dublin pub, but in this tale, it recounts the beginnings of the great love story between Benjamin and barmaid Elowen Keene. Andrew Durand, a proven commodity from oddball shows like Dead Outlaw, Shucked, and last season’s revival of Rocky Horror, delivers an understated and vulnerable performance in the title role. Most importantly, his journey of de-aging is wholly believable in its subtlety. Delicate shifts of voice and posture (paired with the most minor modifications in Anna Kelsey’s costuming) are all this fable needs when imagination is already in the mix.

Stuffed with repeating references to time and the tides, there’s an undeniable folktale quality to the way Compton has chosen to retell this story. But despite the mythological premise, the stakes of Benjamin’s story are tenderly provincial. One ...

Stuffed with repeating references to time and the tides, there’s an undeniable folktale quality to the way Compton has chosen to retell this story. But despite the mythological premise, the stakes of Benjamin’s story are tenderly provincial. One man just wants to watch his little boy playing with other children. Another wishes he could watch his children grow old. And they’re all headed for the same destination: the parish church graveyard along the Cornish coastal path. Benjamin Button may ultimately be a sad tale, but it’s infused with a gentle humor, a persistent loveliness, and an irresistibly toe-tapping score that will only leave you smiling.

Expect to feel warm and fuzzy at the new musical imported from London by the Public Theater. Not so much adapted from than inspired by the 1922 F. Scott Fitzgerald story of the same name, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a charmer of a musical ...

Expect to feel warm and fuzzy at the new musical imported from London by the Public Theater. Not so much adapted from than inspired by the 1922 F. Scott Fitzgerald story of the same name, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a charmer of a musical that possesses distinct Come from Away vibes. Featuring a terrific cast of actor/musicians including recent Tony nominee Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw) in the title role, the show is a crowd-pleaser that is already being talked about for a Broadway transfer.

The entertaining, urgent, psychologically complex, moving highlighter is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, book and lyrics by Jethro Compton, music and lyrics by Darren Clark, choreography by Chi-San Howard, direction by Compton (who also designe...

The entertaining, urgent, psychologically complex, moving highlighter is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, book and lyrics by Jethro Compton, music and lyrics by Darren Clark, choreography by Chi-San Howard, direction by Compton (who also designed the capacious set). Even above and beyond that, it arrives from London (completely recast) as winner of the 2025 Olivier Award for, of course, best musical.

In this musical about a man who is born old and grows younger with each passing year, a company of 15 actor-musicians seemed to be having a stomping good time playing the lively Celtic-flavored folk-rock score and singing the clever lyrics – but in...

In this musical about a man who is born old and grows younger with each passing year, a company of 15 actor-musicians seemed to be having a stomping good time playing the lively Celtic-flavored folk-rock score and singing the clever lyrics – but in an accent coached to be a challenge for Americans to decipher.

Overall, you may see echoes of such shows as The Robber Bridegroom, Once, Swept Away, and Girl from the North Country, all non-traditional, music-forward tales that range from whimsical to deeply moving. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button dances aro...

Overall, you may see echoes of such shows as The Robber Bridegroom, Once, Swept Away, and Girl from the North Country, all non-traditional, music-forward tales that range from whimsical to deeply moving. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button dances around with elements of all of these. Do note that the presumably accurate Cornish accents (the production boasts a voice coach and a dialect coach) sometimes may be a challenge to decipher when they hit American ears. For instance, the opening number is called "Rag Ty Yw Tre," whose meaning you are free to decipher. The unfolding of the story also overdoes its references to the notion that "time and tide wait for no man" (We know. We know).

If you have a strong stomach for schmaltz, or you’re able to focus your attention on individual trees in its sugarplum forest, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does indeed contain moments of beauty and delight. A hovering buoy fills with light t...

If you have a strong stomach for schmaltz, or you’re able to focus your attention on individual trees in its sugarplum forest, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does indeed contain moments of beauty and delight. A hovering buoy fills with light to become the moon; the cast lays into their fiddles and whistles and conjures up the pleasure of a traditional pub session; Durand, caught in blue sidelight and gently swaying his raised arms, becomes a man drowning in the very sea he wanted to see just a little of. That’s simple, sincere theatrical magic. If only Benjamin Button’s creators had trusted its lessons: that a lot of sweet needs at least a touch of bitter, that charm doesn’t always have to smile, and that more is sometimes the enemy of enough.

But Durand and Kimmel are such an infectiously appealing onstage couple that it’s hard not to root for whatever version of a happy ending they can muster for themselves. Plus, the production brims with an old-fashioned craftsmanship, from Compton�...

But Durand and Kimmel are such an infectiously appealing onstage couple that it’s hard not to root for whatever version of a happy ending they can muster for themselves. Plus, the production brims with an old-fashioned craftsmanship, from Compton’s wood- and fishnet-lined sets to Anna Kelsey’s costumes to Zoe Spurr’s lighting (which mesmerizes in sequences set at sea and underwater). At times, you can almost smell the saltwater breezes emanating from the stage. It’s no wonder the show took home the 2025 Olivier Award for best new musical; a Broadway berth seems inevitable (especially since Broadway theater owner ATG is a producer of the trial run at the Public Theater). In the meantime, it’s worth cherishing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as a British spin on a very American story about making the most of unfortunate circumstances.