This production, sub-titled An Unordinary Musical, is based on Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story from which it diverges in location and storyline but not in the basic premise of a man going through life in reverse, being born elderly and becoming younger till he dies as a baby.
This is a theatrical feat of some challenge which is achieved by an excellent performance on the part of John Dagleish (who looks like a young Robert Mitcham) as a green-suited voyager on life’s stormy seas looking for his place in the world.
His transition from bumbling newborn old man to confident (then over-confident) adult is assisted by a performance of great strength and sensitivity by Clare Foster as a raucous barmaid who becomes Benjamin’s love, then his abandoned wife.
Jethro Compton in his story-telling has tapped a peculiar kind of emotional empathy where the tale of a biological freak like Benjamin becomes the story of Everyman: confused, longing and errant, just like us. This is an enriching rather than uplifting musical which does not baulk at the realities of life and in this makes it more tangible to the audience. There is a suicide and a death in this plot and Benjamin is not always likeable but is always recognisably human and relatable.
The production began eight years ago with director, books and lyrics writer Jethro Compton’s vision to transplant the US story to his beloved home county of Cornwall. The production makes excellent and full-throated use of Cornish idiom and culture. The music is almost continuous, with narrative lyrics that propel the plot forward. Other producers take note: this is what the songs are supposed to do in musicals, not to stop the action with ‘Time for a song.’
There are some great songs, notably ‘When E’re She Looked at Me’ and ‘The Moon and the Sea.’
This is a full-on production with a talented and energetic group dancing and playing supporting roles to the two leads. Everyone plays various instruments, I spotted brass, fiddles, guitars, a cello, a flute, a drum kit and a cajon drum. The Celtic sound of this cast of thirteen is as powerful as a rock concert but the carefully honed lyrics by Compton and his co-writer Darren Clark are fully audible. Some of them such as ‘All I Want is A Little Bit of Life’ are the archetypal songs you leave the theatre humming. Some are original Cornish folk tunes.
The cast are assisted in this by the rugged set of beams, nets and hulks of timber which stand in for a quayside, a tavern and a ship.
Most of this very talented cast has been with the production since it opened at the Southwark Playhouse in 2019 where it returned last year before coming to the West End stage. It is a musical people will talk about – literally – I told my cab driver about it on the way home. This is set for a great run, get in early.
Director: Jethro Compton
Book and Lyrics: Jethro Compton
Music and Lyrics: Darren Clark
Choreography: Chi-San Howard
Cast includes: John Dagleish, Clare Foster