Benjamin Button musical cast sets Andrew Durand as Off Broadway lead
The Public Theater has named Andrew Durand and a full actor-musician company for the musical’s North American premiere this fall.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Benjamin Button musical cast for New York is now set, with Tony nominee Andrew Durand playing the man who lives his life backward when the show makes its North American premiere Off Broadway this fall.
The Public Theater announced the full company for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which will play the Newman Theater. Previews are scheduled to begin October 8, with opening night set for October 21. The limited run is slated to continue through November 15.
Durand, nominated for a Tony Award for Dead Outlaw, is currently appearing on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Show. His Broadway credits also include Shucked, Spring Awakening, War Horse, Head Over Heels and Ink, along with multiple Off Broadway productions.
Who is in the Benjamin Button musical cast?
The Public Theater said Durand will be joined by Kelsee Kimmel as Elowen Keene. The company also includes Britney Coleman, Trevor Lindley Craft, Brandon J. Ellis, Katie Horner, Sachiko Mae, Morgan Morse, Kris Saint-Louis, Claire-Frances Sullivan and Matt Wolpe.
The production uses a company of 15 actor-musicians onstage, according to the Public. Kimmel, who plays Benjamin Button’s wife, has appeared on Broadway in Hell’s Kitchen and Six.
The role of Elowen is the musical’s counterpart to Daisy in the 2008 film and Hildegarde in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original short story. Brad Pitt played Benjamin Button in the film version, with Cate Blanchett as Daisy.
What is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button musical about?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on Fitzgerald’s story about a man born old who grows younger as time passes. The stage version shifts the setting to a Cornish fishing village on the coast of Great Britain and gives the characters Cornish names.
The musical follows Benjamin’s life from World War I across the 20th century, according to the production announcement. That unusual timeline is the engine of the story: the character moves through history while his body appears to travel in the opposite direction.
The show arrives in New York after winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2025. Its book is by Jethro Compton, with music by Darren Clark and lyrics by Clark and Compton.
Compton, who directed the West End production, will also direct the Public Theater staging and design the set. The New York production is bringing back the original London creative team, according to the Public.
That team includes choreographer Chi-San Howard, music director Mark Aspinall, costume designer Anna Kelsey, lighting designer Zoe Spurr and sound designer Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound. Orchestrations are by Aspinall and Clark.
The fall run gives New York audiences their first chance to see the Olivier-winning musical in North America, with Durand stepping into the title role for the Off Broadway bow.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.