The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Aside from my general knowledge about the concept of Benjamin Button, I don't know anything about his story, so I was hesitant to see another musical adaptation, but at least its not just another 90s comedy movie. That being said, by the end of the show I would describe myself as an avid fan of the production. 

Benjamin Button ages backwards, we all know that much, but in this story we see his full life. He falls in love, travels the world, becomes a father, and faces tragedy. While Benjamin is played by one actor throughout, adjusting his physicality and voice, the ensemble plays a variety of characters while also acting as the orchestra, creating the wonderful music for the whole show.

What I liked

John Dagleish performance as Benjamin was delightful. His shift from old man to youthful boy was evident in every aspect of his performance. It is an especially interesting character as the role does not sing as much as other leading men, but Dagleish manages to make every sung moment precious and beautiful.

The set and costume were wonderful, you could tell a lot of thought went into all the design elements for the show. I enjoyed the multiple reveals through trap doors, not just of people, as well as the use of the rope for working scenes - I always love when props seem to be set dressing but are purposeful later on, it feels so fulfilling, especially when the set otherwise is unchanging. The costumes were also purposeful, and I appreciated the choices made for Benjamin to show his age changing subtlety; his pant waist height, brightness of the colours, style of glasses.

What wasn’t my favourite

I am legitimately without critique of this show; I was too enthralled by the performance to take any time to be critical of it. Scraping the barrel I could say that some songs blend together during the show, but I’m sure that listening to a cast album or seeing it again will make me feel differently, and that instead what was happening was I wasn’t thinking about the songs as individual pieces as I was just taking in the story.

Overall

I adored the show. As a violinist I think playing while performing in a musical is the most difficult thing you can do, so a show full of actor-musos is a very exciting addition to the current musical theatre world. I really want to come see it again, and will be recommending it to any and all that will listen.

My lovely boyfriend and I outside the theatre