Ambassadors theatre, London
Relocating the F Scott Fitzgerald story to a Cornish fishing village, this is a vivacious yet touching show

F Scott Fitzgerald’s tale of a man who ages in reverse suggests that time is what you make of it. And the five years it has taken Jethro Compton and Darren Clark’s folk musical to reach the West End since its debut have clearly been well spent.

Compton’s idea to transport the jazz age writer’s short story to a Cornish fishing village works well for a plot that is part fable, part old wives’ tale. With a 13-strong troupe of actor-musicians inhabiting various characters – the gnome-fancier, the gin-swigging tea lady, the smiling couple who secretly wish for a divorce – the opening vignettes unfurl like something from Under Milk Wood. Into this melee is born the elderly Benjamin, complete with a bowler hat and a “Mind if I smoke?”.

At Ambassadors theatre, London, until 15 February