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If you’ve never heard of Kimberly Akimbo, its understandable. While on Broadway, Akimbo was playing against big hitters like Hamilton, Six, Wicked, and Book of Mormon. Yet from the tiny Booth Theatre on 45th Street, this show won hearts, as well as the Tony for Best Musical in 2023. If you are wondering about it, I encourage you to buy a ticket to see it while its at the Pantages in Hollywood, California.
I happen to be a big fan of this show, electing to see it in New York, having no idea what to expect. With the story revolving around a 16-year-old girl with a terminal disease that causes her body to age faster than normal, I was nervous that the optimistically colorful poster with a rainbow on it would be misleading…thankfully I was wrong. Kimberly Akimbo is the feel-good musical you need in your life, but its not without a little darkness.
Kimberly Levaco and her family moved from Lodi to Bergen County in New Jersey in 1999 to escape her maternal aunt and some mysteriously complicated family drama. Kimberly is almost 16 years old, and is trying to navigate a new school, new friends, and boys… though the one caveat is that she looks to be almost 70 years old. While you follow Kimberly in her school adventures, her family past comes back to haunt her.
Her relationship with her parents strains as she grows closer to the end of the average life expectancy of someone with her condition and also, her mom is pregnant. Kimberly’s aunt is a hilariously unfazed criminal who is on the run, and still finds them in Bergen County. Kimberly and her friends need money fast, and Aunt Debra has just the solution…involving a chemical solution.
The show opens in an ice-skating rink with the song “Skater Planet” which is a traditional musical theater number that introduces Kimberly and her eventual friends. Seth, an awkward brainiac who works at the rink, as well as Delia, Martin, Teresa, and Aaron, who are all in a show choir and in an unrequited love square.
This song is delightful and catchy with amazing harmonies and continues to be a theme throughout the show. Carolee Carmello (Kimberly) was an obvious initial standout, from her initial performance in “Skater Planet” to the more emotional moments in “Make a Wish” and “Before I Go”. My absolute favorites though, were Miguel Gil (Seth), and Emily Koch (Debra), Miguel Gil understudied for Seth on Broadway, and his performance was on par with that of Justin Cooley from the original Broadway Cast.
He expertly made his character awkward and endearing with a great vocal performance, especially in “Good Kid.” Emily Koch is so funny and has phenomenal pitch. While the character could have allowed for some grittier vocal performance, her somewhat softer take allowed for each hilarious word to be heard in the audience. Her voice is amazing, and she did a fantastic job with the physical gags as well.
“Better” was laugh-out-loud funny, between Koch’s performance and the unexpected backing from the show choir. Jim Hogan (Buddy) was also a Broadway understudy, and he was amazing as being Kimberly’s slightly lovable, but mostly hateable alcoholic father. From his comedic timing and vocal performance in “Happy for Her” to his heartfelt performance in “Before I Go”, he was memorable.
The sets were simple, rotating between Skater Planet, their high school, and Kimberly’s home. Sets were simple, and many of them were taken on and off stage by the performers between scenes. Lighting was simple, yet effective, with a video screen backdrop helping fill in the setting. Notable things about this show is that it features “snow,” and real “ice” skating, utilizing a liquid glycerin technology.
Kimberly Akimbo reminds us to enjoy the time we have while we have it, and to try and have a positive outlook when things get difficult. In a time where there is social media pressure and higher than ever anxiety about the world, its good to pause and enjoy a moment in the time before cell phones and be reminded to “grab life by the balls” and not wait around for your moment to do it.
