Jethro Compton on bringing 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' to the West End

Compton's enchanting and truly “unordinary” musical adaptation of a life in reverse makes its West End debut after an award-winning, five-star run at the Southwark Playhouse.

The story of a man born old who then ages backwards to babyhood is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Writer (and also lyricist, director, stage designer and producer!) Jethro Compton had been making lots of American plays but wanted to create something set closer to home, in a Cornish village setting – like the one he had grown up in.

“I knew I wanted to do a musical, because I had started to write lyrics and create songs – and actually, it’s the most naturalistic setting for a musical,” explains Jethro. “It’s one of the only places where it seems perfectly natural for everyone to just start singing spontaneously – sea shanties and traditional songs in the pub. I had the setting but didn’t have the story, so went looking for ideas. As a producer, I look for something already in the public domain, something that has some sort of chance of finding an audience – a story with an existing audience does some of that work for you. I found The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and realised it would be a perfect fit story-wise for a Cornish setting, despite it being American originally. The fairytale folklore aspects especially.”

It’s a well-known title because of the film, but that’s actually a very loose adaptation of the original short story, and the show is also a loose adaptation. “We go in a very different direction to the film, and I purposefully didn’t rewatch it for fear of unintentionally copying and to really make sure I made it my own,” says Jethro. “This has a very different feel and much more embraces the fairytale aspects. I always knew, for instance, it was going to be a storytelling show, not one involving make-up or prosthetics. I never wanted that to be the thing people were focusing on, sitting there wondering how we were doing it. Theatre is actually the perfect medium to watch somebody do that, through the actor’s performance and also the storytelling ensemble guide us through. It’s written so that the audience always has the information to make sense of the timeline – how many years have passed and how old the characters are now.

“I think it’s a real treat for the audience to have an opportunity to watch actors give a performance over a character’s entire life – particularly Benjamin’s life of over 70 years – and looking at how an actor can do that just with their voice, their physicality and energy. For me, that’s what live theatre is really about. We don’t need ‘magic’ effects and trickery. We just need theatre magic – a really honest way of telling the story that leaves the audience in wonder at the performances.”

“Similarly, the folk music is very grounded and earthy. I wanted to make sure the music didn’t feel like it existed on top of everything or separate to it. Folk music is essentially storytelling, and the cast are all playing musical instruments and narrating, so it feels natural – like it’s just another way they communicate – there isn’t a divide between ‘now we’re narrating’ and ‘now we’re playing’, it’s very much woven together in a way that feels very organic. Darren Clarke has been fantastic to collaborate with on the music. We were able to write lyrics together very quickly – despite me previously being very nervous about working with either a separate lyricist or a composer lyricist, because for me, the words are so vital in the storytelling and the idea of handing that to somebody who maybe has different sensibilities to me was really scary. But our sensibilities are really aligned, and he is a phenomenal lyricist. I’ve learnt so much from him. We both push each other and ourselves to make our best work – we have a shorthand of understanding one another. The show wouldn’t be what it is without Darren – he’s a genius.”

So, what’s this interpretation of the story really about? “It’s about someone’s search for belonging. Someone who doesn’t feel they belong in that classic fairytale way, where they feel they are the monster who can never be loved and can never fit in,” says Jethro. “Which sort of makes it very universal to anyone who has ever felt they don’t feel they belong or have found their place. And with that, the idea of home is the theme that really runs through the show – searching for a home, and that not necessarily being bricks and mortar, or a place at all but people or a person, and finding home as somewhere you feel safe and can be loved.

“The message of the show is to really make the most of the time we’ve got. It doesn’t matter if we’re old or young or ageing in reverse! I hope people will leave, having had a good time, having enjoyed a Cornish beer, and with the feeling of making every second count. Don’t waste your time – it’s precious!”

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is at the Ambassadors Theatre. Book tickets tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Jethro Compton in rehearsals with the cast. (Photos by Marc Brenner)