Two new musicals exploring themes of time have opened this month in New York, offering contrasting approaches to storytelling and ambitious concepts that face challenges in execution. The productions, “Midnight” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” each grapple with the passage of time and the desire to alter or transcend it, but their narratives and musical styles yield mixed results.
“Midnight,” staged at the Daryl Roth Theater, is a sprawling, sung-through quasi-opera created by Todrick Hall, who serves as writer, director, choreographer, and lead actor. Set in the American South during the 1860s, the musical centers on Rail, a Black man enslaved by a white family of women. The story unfolds in a crowded ballroom where Rail attracts the attention of two white brothers: Richard, a gentle character who falls for Rail, and Harry, a hostile figure who nearly kills him over perceived disrespect. The narrative functions as a subversive take on the Cinderella fairy tale, incorporating themes of interracial relationships and Black trauma.
Hall’s musical weaves moments of intense emotional power, including a standout song titled “The Dancing One,” performed by a character mourning a lynched loved one. The production shifts dramatically in the second act, depicting a reversed racial order in which Black overseers dominate white slaves, yet cruelty persists unchanged. This narrative twist, however, contributes to the show’s increasingly complex and sometimes disjointed plot.
Musically, the production is noted for its strong vocal performances and stylistic range spanning gospel to comic numbers. Lyrics often employ rapid, Lin-Manuel Miranda-like rhymes, though some plot developments are compressed into brief musical passages, leaving key story points underexplored. Hall’s willingness to combine historical trauma, queer eroticism, and fantastical elements demonstrates ambition, though the show’s breadth and layered subplots create structural challenges.
“Midnight” has elicited considerable debate. Critics have questioned the ethical implications of portraying Black suffering for predominantly white audiences, with some accusing the piece of exploiting trauma. Hall responded publicly, affirming his identity as a Black artist creating Black art and defending the work’s intentions. The production features stylized costumes and shared portrayals of historical abuse across the cast, avoiding confining certain roles solely to Black performers.
In contrast, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” now presented with a U.S. cast at the Public Theater, offers a more restrained retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story about a man who ages backward. Written and directed by Jethro Compton with music by Darren Clark, this version relocates the narrative to a Cornish fishing village born in 1918. The show adopts a folk-infused, Celtic musical style that recurs repeatedly, giving the production a uniform but monotonous tone over its nearly three-hour runtime.
The narrative emphasizes a romantic element between Benjamin (Andrew Durand) and a local barmaid, Elowen (Kelsee Kimmel), while exploring moments such as Benjamin’s infant wisdom and the acceptance of his eventual death. While these ideas offer some depth, much of the musical’s content remains lighthearted and occasionally akin to sanitized children’s theatre, reducing complex themes like war and mortality to cheerful, sing-along sequences.
Despite a talented cast who also serve as musicians and dancers, the show struggles to derive broader insights from the unique premise or 20th-century historical backdrop. Its recurring upbeat musical motif, culminating in a final toast singing “make the most” of one’s time, delivers an encouraging yet simplified message that contrasts with the original story’s more nuanced meditation on aging and mortality.
Both productions demonstrate the difficulties inherent in ambitious concept musicals focused on time and transformation. “Midnight” captivates with its emotional intensity and bold narrative choices, though its sprawling scope results in uneven pacing and clarity. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” relies on charm and musical uniformity but lacks narrative depth, leaving audiences with a repetitive experience.
As these shows continue their runs, their efforts to wrestle with time—whether through historical upheaval or magical realism—highlight the continuing challenges in translating complex temporal concepts into fully realized musical theatre.