Benjamin Button Review - Greasepaint and stage Lights - Musicals

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Broadcasting on  Radio Hillingdon - Thursday at 9pmCountywide Radio - Mondays at 4pmCoast & County - 97.4 - Mondays at 11pmCarillon Wellbeing Radio - Tuesdays at 5pmCirencester HBO - Tuesdays at 7pmForest FM - 92.3 - Tuesdays at 7pmUK Radio Network - Tuesday at 9pmCabin FM 96.4FM - Wednesdays at 6pmHastings Radio - Wednesdays at 9pmSouth Devon Sound - Wednesdays at 11pmJHR Radio - Thursdays at 12pmDrystone Radio 103.5 - Thursday at 12pmRed Road FM - 102.4 - Thursdays at 9pmSounds of Broadway - Various USA timesIlluminate Radio - Saturday at 4pmCrystal Radio - 107.4 - Saturday at 5pmConquest Radio - Sundays at 9amCoast and County - Sundays at 9amWhaley Radio - Sundays at 10amSouth Wales One - Sundays at 4pmBarts HBO - Sundays at 11amKGH HBO - Sundays at 2pmHereford HOB - Sundays 2pmStorm FM - Sundays at 7PMWest Hull FM - 106.9 - Sundays 5pmIslands FM - 107.9 - Sundays at 6pmCanalside FM - Sundays at 6pmMeridian FM - 107 - Sundays at 7pmRural Radio UK - Sundays 7pmBasingstoke Radio - Sundays at 8pmGuernsey Radio - Sundays at 9pmLCR FM - 103.6 - Sundays at 11pmSouth Devon Sound - Fridays at 1pmHWD Radio - Tuesdays at 6pmKGH - Thursdays at 7pmLondon Wide Radio - Various TimesIslands FM - Thursdays at 8pmSouth Devon Sound - Friday 2pmJHR Radio - Fridays at 4pm

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Southwark Playhouse Elephant
(Review Complete)

SYNOPSIS
The action takes place in Cornwall and around the world. It is the story of Benjamin Button who is born an old man, complete with suit, pipe and walking stick! He is initially kept prisoner in his parent home but escapes and, as he gradually grows younger instead of older, he travels around looking for answers that will help him to understand his life.
REVIEW
I had the good fortune on Thursday night to see the delightful musical version of The Curious Case on Benjamin Button at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Although I was aware of the American movie version, I had never seen it so didn’t really know what to expect. And I was enchanted!
The original short story by F Scott Fitzgerald was set in mid 19th Century America but writer Jethro Compton has cleverly updated it to 20th Century Cornwall, and it works brilliantly!

Darren Clark’s Cornish-style folk music, played on a plethora of instruments by the highly talented cast, sets the tone beautifully and I could only marvel at their incredible dexterity as they played, danced and moved furniture around the stage with deceptive ease.

Compton’s writing is both funny and very moving as it charts Benjamins struggle to make some sense of his life. The scene where his wife dies but he is, by this time, a young man, brought tears to my eyes and the description by the Company of Benjamin’s regression through childhood into babyhood is heart rending.

At the end the audience, quite rightly, leapt to their feet! One cannot help but be impressed by this wonderfully integrated performance and I would give it an unqualified

5 out of 5 stars!

Reviewer Julia Rufey
Greasepaint and Stage Lights

Email: musicals@btinternet.com
website: www.greasepaintandstagelights.co.uk
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