Kimberly Akimbo is a well-deserved five-time 2021 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Leading Actress in a Musical, and Best Featured Actress. It also won Best Musical prizes at the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek) is credited with the winning book and lyrics, while composer and two-time Tony Award winner, Jeannine Tesori (Fun Home) penned the winning uptempo score.
The dynamic, high-energy choreography and amazing polyglide skating scene on stage is by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen). Medford has no Broadway dance credits from his training. He became a choreographer through acting. His style considers an actor’s perspective. Medford’s choreography is authentic. It elicits the characters’ humanity and the audience’s empathy while moving the story gracefully forward. Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone’s (Water for Elephants) artful direction skillfully enhances the characters’ story, mood, and emotions. Sarah Laux’s costumes are both custom-designed and vintage. She trained each character to wear the clothing as a nineties socially inept teen would. Jeanette Yew’s lighting design honors Laux’s costume color palette. This skillful duo seamlessly immerses us into late-nineties dorkdom. I was very impressed with David Zinn’s Scenic Design and the smooth transitions he creates for each time and place.
For those of you suffering ennui over all the recent comebacks, remakes, revivals, and jukebox musicals currently on stage, Kimberly Akimbo offers an ingenious, quirky, fresh take in this vibrant, electric, unique production. It is an original, brilliant, heartfelt comedy set in Bergen County, New Jersey, in 1999. The story covers a heart-wrenching, dark subject, including teenage angst, loneliness, unfulfilled longings, untoward secrets, and dysfunctional families. The teens’ desire to fit in and be seen transcends all ages. That is why having the main character, Kimberly, cursed with a rare, rapid-aging, genetic disorder like progeria makes this story relatable.
The life expectancy for those suffering from Kim’s affliction is sixteen years, which she is quickly approaching. Sweeney Todd and Death Becomes Her musicals have similar deadly violence at their roots. However, their cartoonish brutality is laughable. On the other hand, the harsh reality, emotional intensity, and pathos of the Kimberly Akimbo storyline tread too close to real life for me. In actuality, it’s cringeworthy choices that caused me to experience moral qualms, and not the always expected poignancy and laughter. It pains me that the adults never give the teens the love and care the teens deserve. However, the full-house audience was exuberant in their uproarious, hysterical laughter at the numerous awkward, humorous scenes.
Carolee Carmello (Bad Cinderella), a three-time Tony Award nominee, a five-time Drama Desk nominee, and a 1999 Outstanding Actress Drama Desk Award winner, is aptly cast as Kimberly Levaco, an eternal caretaker optimist. Kimberly is about to turn sixteen. This is a fateful age for her terminal disease. Miguel Gil, who portrays Seth Weetis, Kimberly’s nerdy tuba-playing, Lord of the Rings-loving, teenage friend, is a joyful misfit. His mother has died, and his father has checked out on him, and his brother is in rehab.. Seth is obsessed with anagrams. By rearranging the letters in Kimberly Levaco’s name, he creates the moniker: Cleverly Akimbo. Akimbo is a body position, arms on hips, elbows out, and fittingly awkward. Seth and Kimberly become fast friends who complement each other perfectly despite their social ineptitude. When Miguel Gil sings “Good Kid” in Act II he captures my heart. It is truly a bittersweet moment.
Jim Hogan as Buddy Levaco, the alcoholic ne’er-do-well father, evokes both disgust by his brokenness and audience compassion for his feeble attempts to do the right thing. He is likeable despite his despicable behavior. Hogan’s role is a tricky balancing act, and he plays it admirably. Laura Woyasz as Pattie Levac, Kimberly’s self-absorbed, hypochondriac mother, has committed an unfathomable betrayal. Kimberly’s pregnant mother is wholly focused on the upcoming baby, whom she sees as a replacement for Kimberly. The narcissistic mother has completely erased Kimberly from any motherly love and attention.
Emily Koch (Wicked) as Aunt Debra is the scam artist, repeat offender, funniest felon, who enlists the teens in a check-washing, fraudulent scheme. She executes her role with brilliant comic timing and charisma. Grace Capeless (The Lion King) as Delia, Darron Hayes, a standout singer and dancer as Martin, Skye Alyssa Friedman as Teresa, and Pierce Wheeler (Dear Evan Hansen national Tour) as Aaron are all misfit members of the school’s show choir competing against a rival school. They harmonize beautifully. Each teen suffers from unrequited love as they have romantic designs on the wrong friend until cheeky Aunt Debra sets them straight or gay. This adds more wacky mayhem and hilarious conflict to the complicated story.
Kimberly Akimbo is a powerful, moving, dramedy that concludes with an unexpected joyful adventure. It plays at CIBC Theatre, 18 West Monroe, from June 10 to June 22, 2025. Ticket prices range from $35 to $175, depending on the specific date, time, and seating location. The run-time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission. This show is suitable for ages 12 and up. All persons entering the theater must have a ticket, regardless of age. If you would like more information, you can contact the CIBC Theatre. Discount Parking is available at InterPark Adams/Wabash Self-Park 24/7, Cash/Credit.
Photos Courtesy of: Broadway in Chicago and Patrick Gray, KabikPhotoGroup
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