If you were a fan of silent film star Buster Keaton, you were no doubt open to the idea of Johnny Depp playing a man obsessed with him in the 1993 film Benny and Joon. 24 years after the film, a musical is having its world premiere at the Old Globe in San Diego.
In case you haven’t seen the film, Benny is looking after his mentally disturbed sister, June. Enter Sam (the Depp character) into their lives and love blooms where it hadn’t before.
The creative team behind Benny and Joon are book writer Kirstein Guenther, composer Nolan Gasser and lyricist Mindi Dickstein. Jack Cummings III is the director.
Starring as the title characters are Andrew Samonsky as Benny, Hannah Elles as June and Bryce Pinkham as Sam. You might know Bryce Pinkham from his Tony nominated role as Monty Navarro in A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder.
Below are a couple previews from the show:
