Benjamin Button is a West End winner
Ambassadors Theatre
Many 4 and 5 star reviews for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Based on an F Scott Fitzgerald short story, which also spawned a film starring Brad Pitt, the musical is about a man who lives his life in reverse. Created by Jethro Compton and Darren Clark, it transfers the action from America to Cornwall. The show has spent five years working its way up from the fringe to the refined version we now find in the West End starring John Dagleish and Claire Foster.
[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]
WhatsOnStage’s Alun Hood (5★) declared: ‘Already one of the best British musicals in decades, in this newest iteration, it looks like a world-beater.’ It is, he explained, ‘a complex but never confusing yarn about such universal themes as the passage of time, the nature of belonging, the meaning of home, and the redemptive power of love.’ of the two lovers st the centre of the story, he said, ‘Dagleish nails the eternal misfit’ and Clare Foster ‘is heartbreakingly good, conveying a life-affirming generosity of spirit as she moves from the restlessness of assertive youth to the infirmity of old age.’ He ended, ‘Timeless and heart-burstingly magical, there’s no other current West End musical I’d rather be at.’
Tim Robey, the Telegraph’s film critic (5★), said, ‘The show’s open-hearted lyricism achieves a truly warming glow, the likes of which we may not have seen since the Tony-winning Once, over a decade ago.’ Praise indeed. He concluded, ‘The musical’s creators, Jethro Compton and Darren Clark, haven’t just breathed new life into a literary gimmick but unlocked meanings I never guessed it could have.’
Aliya Al-Hassan of Broadway World (5★) described it as a ‘beautifully crafted show that vibrates with heart and soul’ and said, ‘The show is jam-packed with top quality, empathetic and carefully crafted songs, from the loud and vibrant to delicate and moving ballads.’
In the Standard (4★), Nick Curtis declared, ‘this is the version to treasure.’ ‘This musical really does touch the heart,’ felt Clive Davis in The Times (4★). ‘Clark’s melodies are sinuous and restless,’ he said.
Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out (4★) described it ‘an extraordinary thing, a soaring folk opera that overwhelms you with a cascade of song and feeling.’ He continued, ‘it has a joy, romance and big-hearted elan that stands in stark contrast to Fitzgerald’s cynicism and the dolefulness of Fincher’s sloggy film.’
Calling it ‘loveable’, Holly O’Mahony in The Stage (4★) said, ‘it’s atmospheric, with fishing nets and buoys hanging above a wooden, dock-like stage. Darren Clark’s folksy score is studded with Clark and Compton’s sea shanty-style songs, and there’s a determinedly upbeat essence to the music that prevents the bittersweet story from ever dwelling in its darkness.’
For The Guardian (4★), Emma John said, ‘Perhaps the winsomeness is occasionally overdone. But it’s impossible to be grudging about a production this warm, touching and vivacious.’ Fiona Mountford at i-news (4★) referred to ‘this charming show with its thrummingly tuneful score and fable-like quality’ and a ‘tender and achingly poignant, love story.’
In an insightful review at LondonTheatre (4★), Marianka Swain noted, ‘Luke Swaffield’s evocative soundscape features lapping waves and a whistling wind; there’s a sense of the vast eternity of nature, in sharp contrast to the brief span of a human life. We must make every moment count.’
The Observer’s Susannah Clapp (4) declared , ‘It’s a wave-like movement, a constant musical surge – more jig than gig – that sweeps the evening along. Warmly. Curiously.’
Just when it seemed the reviews were universally excellent, along came Dominic Maxwell in The Sunday Times (2) describing it as ‘insufferably cute’.
Critics’ average rating 4.3 ★
Value rating 53 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button can be seen at the Ambassadors Theatre until 15 February 2025. Buy tickets direct from theambassadorstheatre
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