The reviews are in for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Olivier-winning British musical by Jethro Compton and Darren Clark, which opened its North American premiere at The Public Theater on Wednesday, October 21. Fitzgerald’s man who ages backward is relocated to a Cornish fishing village and his life told as folklore by a company of actor-musicians, with Andrew Durand as Benjamin and Kelsee Kimmel as Elowen, the only woman he loves. Most of the critics are taken with the two leads, the score and the ensemble; the dissent is about length, with several finding two and a half hours of narration more than the story can bear.
The verdict: thirteen reviews in so far. Four outlets give a score: The Recs 5 out of 5, New York Stage Review and Culture Sauce 4 apiece, and 1 Minute Critic 3, an average of 4.0 out of 5 across those four. The rest publish no rating. TheaterMania, The New York Sun and The Recs are the warmest, while Cititour finds the show bloated, the New York Times thinks it falters against its own clock, and 1 Minute Critic feels the central story slipping through the net. Even the doubters tend to make an exception for Kelsee Kimmel, the performer the critics single out most often.
What are critics saying about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?
TheaterMania
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Is a Musical Fable That Jigs to the Rhythm of Life"
Reviewer: Hayley Levitt
Levitt argues that the show finds the balance musicals about time rarely manage, telling Benjamin’s story as Cornish folklore through a chorus of actor-musicians on Jethro Compton’s versatile ship of a set.
"It’s one of the most alive musicals you’re likely to see this season…"
She finds Andrew Durand’s de-aging wholly believable in its subtlety, and calls Kelsee Kimmel’s Elowen the production’s breakout performance.
New York Post
"A sweet and folksy musical that wants to go to Broadway"
Reviewer: Johnny Oleksinski
Oleksinski finds the first act annoying, all verbose narration and overeager group numbers with too many characters to track, but says the show improves staggeringly after the interval, once the story narrows to its two lovers.
"Durand and Kimmel are sublimely romantic in the second part, and not in that prescribed musical-theater way."
He calls Durand wondrous and intensely affecting near the end, and says the pair are reason enough to recommend this very sincere show.
The New York Sun
"F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘Benjamin Button’ Comes of Age on Stage"
Reviewer: Elysa Gardner
Gardner thinks the stage suits the fantastical premise better than film, because a musical already asks an audience to suspend disbelief, and she praises a tuneful, folk-drenched score that moves from brightness to melancholy.
"…the most moving new musical to arrive in our city for quite some time…"
She singles out Sachiko Mae’s singing as Benjamin’s mother and Durand’s dexterity across the decades, and warns that dry eyes at the end would make you tougher than her.
The Recs
"Time Waits For No One in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’"
Reviewer: Carl Sullivan · 5 out of 5
Sullivan calls the ensemble a wonder to behold, singing, dancing and playing every instrument with no orchestra in sight, and admires Durand for charting Benjamin’s life with sheer acting rather than prosthetics.
"This new musical is a powerful reinterpretation of the tale, weaving a complex narrative with an infectious score…"
He also tips his hat to the voice and dialect coaching, which keeps the Cornish accents authentic yet understandable for an American audience.
New York Stage Review
"A Musical Fable That Will Make You Feel Younger"
Reviewer: Frank Scheck · 4 out of 5
Scheck admits there is not much of a story and that the seams fray over two and a half hours of narration, but says Compton’s spirited staging and a rousing cast carry it, with Kimmel giving the standout performance.
"…a charmer of a musical that possesses distinct Come from Away vibes."
Twee at times, he concludes, but like the best fables it has a lot to say. His colleague David Finkle also gave the show four stars in a separate notice that calls it a don’t-walk-run recommendation.
Culture Sauce
Reviewer: Thom Geier · 4 out of 5
Geier likes how the British writers’ outside perspective freshens a familiar story, and enjoys the rootsy, Celtic-accented songs, though over the evening he finds the ballads and up-tempo numbers starting to blur together.
"But Durand and Kimmel are such an infectiously appealing onstage couple that it’s hard not to root for…"
He admires the old-fashioned craftsmanship of the sets, costumes and lighting, and thinks a Broadway berth seems inevitable.
1 Minute Critic
"The Olivier winner docks at the Public"
Reviewer: Matthew Wexler · 3 out of 5
Wexler, who saw a preview, finds the dense score crammed with so many timestamps that they become exhausting, and the choreography still settling in.
"…have cast the net so wide, though, that the central story occasionally slips through the mesh."
He calls Anna Kelsey’s costumes the real stunner and credits Kimmel with keeping the plot on course, concluding that the love story is there even if the musical is still growing into it.
New York Theatre Guide
"classic short story gets a folksy musical twist"
Reviewer: Austin Fimmano
Fimmano praises Durand’s flexibility, from a septuagenarian’s aches to the naivety of first love, and the grounding Kimmel gives him, along with Zoe Spurr’s inventive lighting.
"…it’s infused with a gentle humor, a persistent loveliness, and an irresistibly toe-tapping score that will only leave you smiling."
The show can feel long, he says, but each song is so well-crafted that the writers can be forgiven for keeping them all.
New York Theater
Reviewer: Jonathan Mandell
Mandell notes how far the show strays from Fitzgerald’s arch Baltimore satire toward an English folk tale, and warns that the Cornish dialect can be a challenge for American ears.
"But if New York theatergoers might not be able to make sense of every line and lyric, it’s easy to get into the spirit of the show."
He enjoys the company of actor-musicians and the lively, Celtic-flavored folk-rock score, told episodically with cheeky asides.
Pages on Stages
"The Tide Is Comin’ In"
Reviewer: Mason Pilevsky
Pilevsky finds the ensemble’s energy infectious and names lighting designer Zoe Spurr the show’s unsung hero, for the way she carries the set through its many transformations.
"The show is whimsical, uproarious, and, above all, genuinely fun."
The story has some unexplained quirks, he allows, but nothing that gets in the way of the enjoyment.
Cititour
Reviewer: Brian Scott Lipton
Lipton finds it ironic that a show whose message is not to waste time runs two and a half hours, with too many second-act reprises and a script crowded with clock times and distances. He likes the folk-inflected score and calls Kimmel the standout.
"…trying to make a case that this noble-minded yet bloated show belongs on the Great White Way."
He doubts a Broadway transfer would succeed without a movie star in the title role, and thinks the production does little to de-age Durand.
Also reviewed by: The New York Times (Helen Shaw, “‘Midnight’ and ‘Benjamin Button’: New Musicals Preoccupied With Time”, a joint review with Midnight) and The Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood, “A Warmly Imagined Musical”), both behind paywalls.
For more of what the New York critics have been saying, read our roundups for Copperfield! The New Musical at The Duke on 42nd Street and Two Girls at the Cherry Lane Theatre, or look back at our first look at the production.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button runs in the Newman Theater at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, through December 6, 2026. The running time is about two and a half hours, including an intermission. Production photos by Joan Marcus.
