Tony-nominated actor Andrew Durand is stepping into a time-bending spotlight this fall, headlining the North American premiere of the Olivier Award-winning musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at The Public Theater. The West End transfer lands in the Public’s Newman Theater with previews starting October 8, an official opening on October 21, and a limited run through November 15, packing the original London staging’s 15 actor-musicians into an intimate Off-Broadway house for a short, in-demand engagement.
Cast and creatives
In a casting announcement, The Public Theater named Durand as Reverthi/Benjamin Button at the center of a 15-performer actor-musician ensemble. He’ll be joined by Britney Coleman, Kelsee Kimmel, Morgan Morse, Jo Brook, Trevor Lindley Craft, Brandon J. Ellis, Katie Horner, Casey Martin Klein, Sachiko Mae, Kris Saint-Louis, Claire-Frances Sullivan, Lauren Jeanne Thomas, Spiff Wiegand and Matt Wolpe. All casting and schedule details come via The Public Theater.
Creative team and score
Writer-director Jethro Compton, who adapted the book and lyrics, will stage the production and design the scenery, with choreography by Chi-San Howard. The score features music and lyrics by Darren Clark, with orchestrations and arrangements by Clark and Mark Aspinall, and Aspinall also serving as music director, according to Playbill.
West End pedigree and awards
The show first bowed in London, where it went on a serious awards tear, ultimately winning Best New Musical at the 2025 Olivier Awards. Its West End run, which also brought recognition for Darren Clark and Mark Aspinall’s musical work, helped pave the way for the New York transfer to the Public, per Official London Theatre.
Tickets and what to expect
The first performance on October 8 is set as a Joseph Papp Free Performance, with the official engagement continuing through November 15 at the Newman Theater. Press materials detail a lottery for free seats along with the full performance calendar, all outlined in the production notes and ticketing information from The Public Theater.
About Andrew Durand
Durand picked up a Tony nomination in 2025 for his leading turn in Dead Outlaw, as documented by the Tony Awards. His Broadway resume jumps from the country-fried comedy of Shucked to the angsty rock of Spring Awakening, the epic staging of War Horse, the pop fantasia of Head Over Heels and the newsroom drama of Ink. Following his nomination, he was also profiled in Parade.
Why New Yorkers Should Care
For city theatergoers, this run offers a relatively rare chance to catch a freshly crowned Olivier-winning West End musical in a small room where the actor-musician setup is baked into the storytelling. TheaterMania and other outlets have already spotlighted the casting news, with more production updates expected as October previews draw closer.
