Jethro Compton has brought his reverse-aging musical to New York for its U.S. debut. The Public Theater is staging his take on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a tale by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Compton first found it while in his twenties. He knew the name from David Fincher's film and thought it had real stage appeal.
Here's where the plan got neat. Compton had a folk show in mind as well, with a small fishing town in Cornwall as its home. He chose to blend both ideas. Baltimore, the home of Fitzgerald's tale, was out. A coastal spot in England took its place.
Finding the right music was a bit of a mess. His first pick for the score showed up late and wrote nothing. Then a friend put him in touch with Darren Clark, who had worked on The Wicker Husband. A chat over beers led to a song called The Gulls. Clark liked the project and joined in.
Nine months of joint work gave the pair a score. Before the first run, they took a trip to Cornwall for local detail. Fishing nets and lobster pots became stage props. Clark also dropped his clock-based music plan. The tides gave him a fresh way to deal with the theme of time.
London gave the show a warm start. Southwark Playhouse had full seats and strong reviews, while the cast played live music as part of each scene. Backers soon showed an interest. But a few had plans that Compton and Clark did not like, such as a larger cast or fewer actor-musicians.
ATG Productions gave them room to keep their plan. The pandemic held up more work, yet the team kept making changes when it could meet again. Some roles got cut. New songs took the place of old ones, and even The Gulls did not make the final score.
Then a planned run at a local theater fell through. Southwark gave the show a fresh home, and the West End came next. That run lasted a full year. Its award count hit three at the Oliviers, with Best New Musical among them. Quite a result for such a long path.
Oskar Eustis, the Public's arts chief, caught a London show and loved it. He met the two men to give them praise, but the chat led to a U.S. staging. New work on the plot and songs helped trim the heavy parts. A separate version is also set for South Korea.
Andrew Durand has the lead role, playing Benjamin as he goes from age 70 to a baby. Most days at practice left him in tears. He saw that as a good part of the job, though. For him, the sad plot has a warm point about love, loss, and making good use of life.
Away from the stage, both men had big changes of their own. Compton set up a furniture firm, later shut it, and left Austria for Britain. Clark got married and had a child. After years of work, they feel the musical is ready. Clark hopes people leave with a deeper joy for life.
Here's where the plan got neat. Compton had a folk show in mind as well, with a small fishing town in Cornwall as its home. He chose to blend both ideas. Baltimore, the home of Fitzgerald's tale, was out. A coastal spot in England took its place.
Finding the right music was a bit of a mess. His first pick for the score showed up late and wrote nothing. Then a friend put him in touch with Darren Clark, who had worked on The Wicker Husband. A chat over beers led to a song called The Gulls. Clark liked the project and joined in.
Nine months of joint work gave the pair a score. Before the first run, they took a trip to Cornwall for local detail. Fishing nets and lobster pots became stage props. Clark also dropped his clock-based music plan. The tides gave him a fresh way to deal with the theme of time.
London gave the show a warm start. Southwark Playhouse had full seats and strong reviews, while the cast played live music as part of each scene. Backers soon showed an interest. But a few had plans that Compton and Clark did not like, such as a larger cast or fewer actor-musicians.
ATG Productions gave them room to keep their plan. The pandemic held up more work, yet the team kept making changes when it could meet again. Some roles got cut. New songs took the place of old ones, and even The Gulls did not make the final score.
Then a planned run at a local theater fell through. Southwark gave the show a fresh home, and the West End came next. That run lasted a full year. Its award count hit three at the Oliviers, with Best New Musical among them. Quite a result for such a long path.
Oskar Eustis, the Public's arts chief, caught a London show and loved it. He met the two men to give them praise, but the chat led to a U.S. staging. New work on the plot and songs helped trim the heavy parts. A separate version is also set for South Korea.
Andrew Durand has the lead role, playing Benjamin as he goes from age 70 to a baby. Most days at practice left him in tears. He saw that as a good part of the job, though. For him, the sad plot has a warm point about love, loss, and making good use of life.
Away from the stage, both men had big changes of their own. Compton set up a furniture firm, later shut it, and left Austria for Britain. Clark got married and had a child. After years of work, they feel the musical is ready. Clark hopes people leave with a deeper joy for life.
