For our two-day birthday bonanza in old London Town, we hit the theatrical jackpot with a double bill of top-drawer shows. First up – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – is a foot-tapping bundle of heart-warming folksy fun, despite the strange and, at times, bleak plot of a man born old who gradually regresses to a babe in arms. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the tale is relocated to a Cornish fishing village at the turn of the last century. Unique, funny, charming, fast-paced and complex, the entire ensemble remains on stage throughout – singing, dancing, swapping instruments and characters in a dazzling display of talent. At its heart, Benjamin Button is a moving tale of love against the odds, and it’s a triumph.
Images © Marc Brenner
Talking of love against the odds, second up was Moulin Rouge, based on Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 2001 boy-meets-girl basque-and-knickers glitterfest. The show was our emergency stand-in for the cancelled performance of The Devil Wears Prada, Elton John’s new musical. Lavish, brilliantly staged, slick, bawdy and addictive, the disappointment of missing The Devil evaporated within minutes of us taking our seats. Superbly delivered to a clever karaoke mash-up, including (ironically) Elton’s Your Song, I have a feeling in my water that this spectacular high-octane, all-singing, all-can-canning tale of consumption and doomed love in a Parisian garret will run and run. Ooh la la!
Images courtesy of The Piccadilly Theatre
