KIMBERLY AKIMBO Off-Broadway - Previews & Reviews

The world premiere of Kimberly Akimbo at Atlantic Theater Company will feature several Broadway alums when it arrives Off-Broadway this fall. Playing the title role is Tony winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza) alongside Hand to God Tony nominee Steven Boyer and Head Over Heels breakout star Bonnie Milligan.

Joining the main trio, with Boyer as Buddy and Milligan as Debra, are Justin Cooley as Seth, Olivia Elease Hardy as Delia, Fernell Hogan II as Martin, Michael Iskander as Aaron, Alli Mauzey (Hello, Dolly!) as Pattie, and Nina White as Teresa.

As previously announced, the musical begins previews November 5 at the Atlantic Theater Companys Linda Gross Theatre. Opening night is set for December 8.

Kimberly Akimbo, based on the eponymous play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, features a book and lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire, music by Tony winner Jeanine Tesori, choreography by Danny Mefford, and direction by Jessica Stone.

The musical follows Kim, a bright and funny Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. And yet her aging disease may be the least of her problems. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side.

Updated On: 12/8/21 at 06:03 PM

I have tickets for this but on the fence...looking forward to reading what folks think

Between The Visitor, Fairycakes and Morning Sun all of the Off-Broadway I was excited about has really been a let down - and I am so ready to be back in a theater...

 

Please share your thougths once you see

There are 11 $25 tickets left for Sunday night’s performance this weekend. Some very good seats too.

I saw the play when Manhattan Theater Club did it with Marylouise Burke as the lead.  Not sure I'd want to see it again as a musical. And Victoria Clark would physically seem wrong to play the diminutive Kimberly.

Bump. Any reports from tonight?

This is definitely a must see! I am still trying to unpack everything we witnessed last night, but I will say that Victoria Clark did an outstanding job with the material. From the second you see her slumped over on stage in the posture of an awkward teenager, you know you are about to witness something truly special. I do not want to give too much away, but this show is a family tragedy shrouded in a light upbeat musical comedy. And much like Tesori’s other material (Fun Home and Caroline, or Change) it is utterly heartbreaking. Clark’s performance is so honest and sincere and subtle - it is the way she delivers her Kimberly that ultimately makes the show truly work. The score was spectacular and every cast member is great with shout outs to Justin Cooley and the absolutely hilarious Bonnie Milligan. I also adored David Zinn’s sets as well. My only criticism really is the timing of some of the comedic delivery, which I know will tighten up over the next few weeks. Other than that, I can totally see this transferring to Broadway and perhaps winning Clark some major awards. This musical is so tender and special and I can see it appealing to a broader audience than Fun Home, which it shares much of the same themes. Loved it, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since last night.

2 hours 15 minutes including intermission.

We saw this last night and were quite impressed. We’re unfamiliar with the source material, but are big fans of the Atlantic, so try to see as many things there as possible.  Clark handles the role very nicely, and there were tears in her eyes and other cast members during the ovation after the show.  The songs all “work” and most are hummable. Sets and costumes are good. Actress who plays Debra seems to be trying to channel Aidy Bryant.

I was at the matinee today and had the opposite experience of most posters here. I did not think it was spectacular or even good, just fine. I was not alone in these feelings, my partner says he gives it a 3/10. The woman next to us left at intermission, and a man two rows  behind us walked out towards the end of act two (I think in response to a plot point, but I can’t be sure.) The party behind us talked all intermission about how it felt like something was missing. One of the men said that he is a huge fan of Victoria Clark and has loved her in everything except this. She gave a nice performance, but it didn’t sell the show for me.

There were some nice harmonies, some touching moments , some cute scenes but considering the subject matter I would expect a little more meat to it. I found myself getting bored often. I cannot hum any songs either a few hours post performance.

The performances were all around pretty good. Bonnie is always a standout, and the young man who played the love interest (I think the character’s name is Seth) was so earnest and believable. 

We walked out wondering what the need was for certain plot lines, songs, and even some characters. This could easily be condensed to a 90 minute show which I think would do it a lot of favors. 
 

I walked in with high hopes and wanted to love it, but it was just fine. I really enjoy most things I see, so I was surprised. The show is sweet and quaint, but ultimately nothing to write home about and I do not see a transfer happening for this show.

An anecdote from today’s performance: a prop candle fell while the crew took it offstage and the glass shattered everywhere. A show hold was not called which shocked me, and then an automated set piece ran over the glass and candle. A show hold was not called which surprised me, the scene continued on until there was a cleaner scene break and someone came out and swept it. When he was done, he got lots of applause. 

Synecdoche2 said: "It's terrific! suicidalmickeymouse will doubtless be in the extreme minority. See it before it sells out."

Well then add me to that minority! I thought this musical was just fine, if that. While the performances were pretty solid across the board I was waiting for a song or moment (outside of one) to really make an impact on me. I also questioned some of the structure to the narrative, and wished that some of the songs were more memorable. Honestly my biggest problem was the book, and while this (imo) is nowhere close to Tesori’s score it was fine for what the show was attempting to be.
 

I would be very shocked if this show transfers because to me it screams flawed (but quaint) off-broadway musical that could probably be 90 minutes long.

I’m not sure how to do a spoiler tag so I’ll omit some more of the specific complaints, but more than happy to be more specific if I can figure out. I really wanted to like the show, especially with the glowing reviews here… but I left feeling very “meh”. I definitely see the potential as a lot of the things  that I found to be issues are fixable (with many of my answers being a rearrangement than anything else)… but I personally wish I came in without reading the positive reviews (or being told by a friend involved how much they enjoyed it) here so I could have tempered my expectations.

SouthernCakes said: "What’s the plot? What’s the design like? Always like seeing shows at the Atlantic."

To answer the first question: It's an adaptation of a play by David Lindsay-Abaire (who wrote the book and lyrics). It's about Kimberly, a teenage girl with a disease that causes her to age rapidly. She's a sixteen year old girl in the body of a 60-year-old woman. The play follows Kimberly, her spiraling father, her heavily pregnant mother, and her felon aunt.

I just saw this tonight and completely adored it!  It's true that there's not much of a "plot" in terms of driving momentum, but the characters and their interactions with each other were just so compelling to me that I loved spending time with them, and I really enjoyed the music as well (though I suppose some of the lyrics were a bit basic?).  When the show first started, I was wondering about the set, because it looks like it would just be a unit set with maybe some props brought on and off stage, but it was much more advanced than I had expected and definitely held quite a few surprises.  My only complaint is that some of the transitions seem a little long/clunky in terms of people physically moving things on and off stage (though I think it's mostly because there are so many other transitions that are so smoothly done).

I thought everyone did quite well with the material.  Victoria Clark is excellent in playing a teenager, though I don't think it's necessary a "wow" role.  I'd say everyone is actually pretty understated, despite the rest of Kimberly's family being somewhat outlandish characters--there's still a sense of quiet discontent to the characters that I found charming.  I was pretty impressed with the quartet of high school students too, they played off each other nicely and had some fantastic harmonies, and I thought the ending was sweet and very well done, so I'm curious to read the original play.  Would definitely recommend people go see this but nothing about it is big or splashy in any way.

I thought the show was flawed but overall very good and enjoyable, though I do have quite a soft spot for cheesy stories so I may be biased. The story is pretty loose but the music and acting more than make up for it. The ending is very disney channel appreciate your life and love each other, which isn't for everyone. I don't see it transferring to Broadway, at least in its current iteration, and in the off chance it did Kimberly didn't feel like a diva tony win for me.

I went with an access 25 ticket, which was a great seat; however, I don't know if I would have paid much more.