Curious Case of Benjamin Button musical to return with Jamie Parker and Molly Osborne 

After a successful limited run in 2019, F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is set to return as a new musical production at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant in London from 22 May to 31 July 2023.

The musical takes place in a sleepy fishing harbor on the north coast of Cornwall and tells the story of Benjamin Button, born as an old man in rather unusual circumstances. 

The production is brought to the stage by a group of esteemed theatrical production companies, including ATG Productions, GBA, Gavin Kalin Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, and Jethro Compton Productions.

The new production will feature WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award winner Jamie Parker and Molly Osborne (Indecent) in the leading roles of Benjamin Button and Elowen Keene.

They will be joined by a 12-strong actor-musician ensemble, including Matthew Burns, Jonathan Charles, Oonagh Cox, Anna Fordham, Philippa Hogg, Damien James, Ann Marcuson, Jack Quarton, Benedict Salter, and Tonny Shim.

The original limited run of the musical in 2019 received critical and audience acclaim. Compton said: “I’m thrilled to be bringing this story back to London. Southwark Playhouse has been a home to me for almost 15 years, and to have the chance to return with this new production of Button, in their new venue, feels like the perfect homecoming. It’s a show about time, and home, and love – things that I’m sure have new meaning for most of us after these years of uncertainty.

“I have so much love for the 2019 production. It was a scrappy little show, produced on a shoestring, with an enormous amount of heart. The last four years have given us time to let the story and the music grow and develop. But for those who loved what we made in 2019, don’t worry – the heart of that scrappy little show is very much alive.”

Penned by Compton and Darren Clark, it is directed by Compton who also designs the stage, with choreography and movement by Chi-San Howard, co-music supervision by Mark Aspinall and Darren Clark, costumes and associate stage design by Anna Kelsey, sound by Luke Swaffield, and musical direction by Mark Aspinall.