The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has arrived to the West End in the form of a musical and I had the opportunity to interview one of the cast, Ann Marcuson.
Benjamin Button the Musical focuses on the character of Benjamin Button and how he is born at 70 years old and ages backwards, growing younger as the days pass. However all he wants is to live a simple life but the question arises will he ever find somewhere to belong?
Jethro Compton (book & lyrics) and Darren Clark (music & lyrics) intricately create a reimagination of the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, being based in Cornwall (where the writer lives) and its short cast of thirteen acting musicians all tell the story of his life, playing as characters and villagers that Benjamin comes across in his days. They sing, act, dance and play musical instruments - calling it an epic can be considered an understatement for this heavy load of talent, especially since it won the Best Musical Production in the 2024 Off West End Awards.
Ann describes this new British musical as a “fantastical love story, which is nuanced, quirky, life affirming and heart breaking as well as heart warming.” She also mentions that this love story can stir emotions within the audience and make them understand the themes of “otherness and feeling different, which creates this to be such a relatable piece.”
Marcuson joined the cast in 2023, its first year of production since Covid (where prior they performed in 2018 and 2019, first performing at Southwark playhouse). In it she plays the mother of Elowen, Morwenna Keene, a villager called Miss Moncrief - who is a joyous tea room proprietor - , and a stranger character which narrates the story, all of which she finds can be “enlightening and funny”. She mentions that there is a song that plays, and later on repeats once again, which depicts the events that happens in Benjamin's life and she finds it intriguing and incredible how time is such a big life aspect and how the butterfly effect is so deeply rooted in our lives, making us wonder how our decisions affect our lives.
She says it's the heart of this piece that drew her to this ensemble piece - “it makes people go wow!” and that the sense of community with so many skillful people acting together like tissues in one beating heart is something that strives her to play her part. She mentions a funny story on how she got the part:
“My agent let me know the day before the audition that there was this part. I had to prepare a song, play my trombone and my french horn since I’m a bass player, a song … and I was like: great! I have 24 hours to prepare so so much! However when I played the song I had to learn, we were at home having breakfast as a family, and I started playing it and the music was so powerful I was like wow! I never tell people about what I have to prepare for auditions, but I told the whole family to come and listen to this piece and they had the same reaction! So I said “I’m doing this show.” and I walked into the audition with the mindset that “What do you want me to do and I’ll do it, because I am in this show.” because of how moved I was. It's the essence of it, my heart soared, the melodies soar, it's so beautiful.”
She states that in her 30 years in the business, she has never felt an experience like this.
“It is such a special rehearsal space, so neurodiverse and diverse in terms of gender, sexuality and ethnicity. People matter. Everyone is heard, it’s like a second home, even Compton the director says he created a home where people feel accepted which is rare and moving … this forgiving and compassionate space he has made reflects how he likes to work and who he is as a person … he wanted it to be like this as he knows the opposite feeling and he doesn’t want people to feel excluded … There is no space for ego in this world, however we all have one, but the piece is so strong that that ego falls away and that’s where the best work happens.”
I asked her what she finds the most challenging aspect in playing her character, but she believes the biggest thing is that it isn’t about the character but how it's doing this as an ensemble show. One big challenge is to create the character human, make it real and funny, investing in their humanity.
“Morwena is an alcoholic in the sense that she’s a loving character who likes to put gin in her tea and cannot function without it … I have 30 seconds to show her rattiness, her hangover, her delight in making cakes and her reaction when it goes slightly wrong, her weakness … She’s a mum, she has a daughter and a job and she knows better. She says “no, can’t do that” and her brutal, no nonsense humanity stems from her fixed mindset and that she hasn’t seen or learned any difference, it’s her experience.”
Ann also finds it difficult to do the intricate choreography and sing or play her instrument simultaneously, to get the notes right and move proves quite the challenge; however she believes that with each take it becomes second nature and though it is difficult having thirteen people moving on a small stage with props and boxes, it is skillful to navigate this traffic and learn.
The last question I asked her was regarding what future roles she would like to undertake, to which she replied almost instantaneously “Loads.” followed by a giggle and a brief pause. She believes it's not about “my character and me, me, me” but rather the roles as a whole, creating this type of “web” she called it, is what she deems satisfying.
“On our own, we are limited, however with the skill set of thirteen, we take on skills from each other, and are consequently raised to a higher level. There’s no weak link, we enhance each other. I had a talk with the director once and he said it was how we enhance each other, and I was like I have never thought about it like that before but it is so true! … It plays against stereotypical fame and celebrates skill and talent and heart, rather than glorifying people in fame or focusing on our own personal gain. That's what I hope for the future, a aspirational society where we all work collectively rather than separately”
She wholeheartedly is convinced that this is the reason that the audience see the actors as friends as there is no "star status" and a trust is formed between them, cultivating a relationship with the viewer.
Going back to the question however, she states that if there was a particular role she would like to play in the future, it would be either a juicy TV role or a comedic character.
“I like the unhinged characters… exploring their darkness, I find fascinating. I believe that we all have the capacity to be unhinged if we go down a certain path - we must keep that balance.”
An inspiring interview from an inspiring lady.
