KIMBERLY AKIMBO Off-Broadway - Previews & Reviews- Page 2

[grazyyy]

Posted: 11/10/21 at 2:53pm

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.

[Collingswood]

Posted: 11/19/21 at 7:34am

I saw the show last night and loved it! It is off-beat, funny, heartbreaking, and just delightful. The music is terrific, particularly a song (I believe) called Anagram.The cast is excellent and it’s amazing to watch Clark as a 16 year old (she nails it) and her voice is gorgeous. 

Shout outs to Milligan (with a show-stopping number), Boyer, and Mauzey. And if you're interested in seeing a newcomer with a very bright future, you’ll love Justin Cooley as the nerdy Seth. Reading his bio, this kid just graduated from HS in May! Watching his character and Kimberly fall for each other is beautiful. 

Personally, I DO see a future for this show uptown. Only time will tell…but it was an excellent night in the theatre!

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/20/21 at 2:08pm

I won the lottery for tomorrow night's show (Sunday, November 21st, 7pm). I have an extra ticket, $25, please PM me if interested. Thanks! 

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 11/20/21 at 2:36pm

Congrats! I have a ticket for December and I'm looking forward to seeing this show.

Jimbo (formerly the lifecafe.com guy)

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 11/20/21 at 11:20pm

This show is an absolute joy.   

Victoria Clark and Bonnie Mulligan give phenomenal performances - and the entire ensemble is excellent.  Great songs - I dont think I've said that about a new musical since seeing SIX in London a few years ago.

What a terriifc reminder why we go to the theater. 

I see a life for this...on Broadway

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 12:03am

"Cute" is the word that comes to mind. I had high hopes –– and it's in no way a trainwreck –– but it needs some work if they have any hope of a life beyond the Atlantic.

This is Jeanine Tesori's worst score. That said, a bad Tesori score is still a lot better than other composers. But the music is just sort of...there. It doesn't give a great justification for why these characters need to be singing. 

On a whole, the show is still having problems balancing the tone of comedy and drama. It's pretty poorly directed and designed, so any flaws in the material aren't being masked by that. The opening number/scene is clunky, so it doesn't really find its groove until Victoria Clark's I-Want song. The second act is so convoluted.

The sophistication with which Victoria Clark sings might be the biggest problem with her character. Because of that, I don't buy that she's a 15-year-old who looks 60. Acting-wise she is good considering the poor direction and has the potential to be flat-out brilliant, but this might be an inherent problem with adapting this play into a musical. Clark is 62 and looks good for her age and the young adults playing 15-16 all look like 20somethings, so the age disparity isn't reading significantly onstage...some subtle makeup and wiggery could go a long way for Clark.

Milligan is sensational. Very much in "Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids" or "Lea Delaria in On the Town" mode.

A mild spoiler about the act 1 finale:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

There is an onstage ice skating number that feels like they're trying to make it a big showstopping moment. But as the show stands right now, nobody's very good at skating, and you can visibly tell the actors are terrified. They're limited in their movements. So it ends up being an uncomfortable end to the first act. At this point in previews if the cast hasn't mastered it, they would be better off cutting it.

The only way I see this making ANY impact on Broadway is if they do major surgery and it wins the Tony Award for Best Musical. Otherwise it closes within 3 months and loses every cent like Amelie. The subject matter, like Side Show, is going to be a detractor to try to explain to audiences in an "elevator pitch."

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 12:08am

I’d love to hear more about the design. It’s a small space so always curious how they use it. Thought “The Band’s Visit” used the space brilliantly. How do they pull off an ice skating rink??

[ThaDudeAbides]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 12:11am

I was there tonight.

This was my fifth show in the past few weeks, after Fairycakes, Dana H, Jagged Little Pill and Baby. After the disappointments of Baby and Fairycakes, off-Broadway was starting to look like an unhealthy relationship, but I'm happy to say this show broke the cycle and renewed my faith in new work.

I loved every single person in the cast. Vicki is adorable and heartbreaking, Bonnie is balls to the wall Bonnie, the quartet of high schoolers couldn't be more perfectly cast, the actor who plays Seth is amazing, the duo who play the parents are great.

I have a lot more to say, but I'm exhausted. I loved this show, like, a lot. I hate to overhype things, but go see this 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 12:22am

SouthernCakes said: "I’d love to hear more about the design. It’s a small space so always curious how they use it. Thought “The Band’s Visit” used the space brilliantly. How do they pull off an ice skating rink??"

It's a single-set that sort of looks like a gray gymnasium or house. The top is a triangle like an attic (I know I'm blanking on a more technical term) and that's where the 7-piece band is. Different walls fold out for living room, bedroom, etc.

For the act 1 skating finale, they are wearing what look like real ice skates, and they're skating on the stage material. There is a lip at the front of the stage just in case anyone gets too close. It's the only real choreography in the show, iirc. If well-executed, it would be brilliant, but probably needs a bigger stage, a choreographer like Jerry Mitchell or Peter Darling, and a cast of real dancers. The song also isn't that compelling, like the rest of Tesori's score.

As with The Visitor, replacing the director and design team would go a long way, but some of the challenges might be unfixable, at least in terms of commercial viability. In my mind, it's almost good...just not there yet.

Updated On: 11/21/21 at 12:22 AM

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 10:03am

Jimbo2 said: "Congrats! I have a ticket for December and I'm looking forward to seeing this show."

Thanks, Jimbo! I hope we both enjoy it. 

I've still got an extra $25 ticket for tonight (Sunday, November 21st, 7pm) if anyone is interested. 

[ShowBro]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 10:21am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "SouthernCakes said: "I’d love to hear more about the design. It’s a small space so always curious how they use it. Thought “The Band’s Visit” used the space brilliantly. How do they pull off an ice skating rink”

For the act 1 skating finale, they are wearing what look like real ice skates, and they're skating on the stage material. There is a lip at the front of the stage just in case anyone gets too close. It's the only real choreography in the show, iirc. If well-executed, it would be brilliant, but probably needs a bigger stage, a choreographer like Jerry Mitchell or Peter Darling, and a cast of real dancers. The song also isn'tthatcompelling, like the rest of Tesori's score.

They need Jerry Mitchell for the ice skating scene??

lmao. This is exactly what the show doesn’t need. They are supposed to be a dorky high school show choir randomly breaking out into dance - the movement was in my opinion perfect for the scene. They are not supposed to be professional skaters and this is not an ice capades dream sequence. But yes they are wearing real skates and I thought the scene was perfectly charming / geeky for what it needed to be.

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/21/21 at 10:38pm

#1Elphie said: "Jimbo2 said: "Congrats! I have a ticket for December and I'm looking forward to seeing this show."

Thanks, Jimbo! I hope we both enjoy it.

I've still got an extra $25 ticket for tonight (Sunday, November 21st, 7pm) if anyone is interested."

where were your lottery tix? TDF put us dead center in the third row. 

i enjoyed this a whole bunch. the music is nothing special and some of the lyrics are pretty basic, but it was pleasant to listen to and the book has some pretty heartbreaking moments. i laughed and i choked up, and those are both rarities for me, and make me overlook the many flaws/gripes of this production.

the set is great- simple but smart. the ensemble foursome are phenomenal, especially Nina White and Fernell Hogan. Alli Mauzey has such a unique talent: her voice is beautiful and yet inherently funny/clever. Unfortunately I think she (and Boyer) are given the worst material; did Lindsay-Abaire originally write them to be so despicable? I thought the only really weak substantive spot was how cartoon-cruel those two were to their daughter,

Bonnie Milligan is, as others have said, doing Bonnie Milligan. I expected her to belt alot but she was actually quite funny and stole scene after scene she was in. (I also wonder what Mauzey would have done with this role). But the show turns on the two leads: Victoria Clark and Justin Cooley. He is adorkable but sincere and instantly likeable. Hes a leading man that doesnt sacrifice an ounce of his character's geekdom. And Clark- I am still not 100% sure I get her casting, because its not just that she looks her age, but she SOUNDS it, with a lilting more operatic/traditional tone; maybe thats on purpose but it doesnt always fit the score. But her performance is so touching, so thoughtful, so moving. I thought she and Cooley gave us one of the more beautiful romances I have seen on stage in quite some time.

credit to them, of course, but also the whole creative team, for such a moving night.

[BwayStarlette]

Posted: 11/22/21 at 5:49pm

I heard this is amazing --- I hope it gets great reviews so I can see it when I am in NYC. A friend told me it's going to be a smash and I should see it!

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/22/21 at 6:37pm

BwayStarlette said: "I heard this is amazing --- I hope it gets great reviews so I can see it when I am in NYC. A friend told me it's going to be a smash and I should see it!"

Is it "cute" and "fun"?  Yes.   

Is it "amazing" and a "smash" -- that's a bit of a stretch!

 

[dan94]

Posted: 11/22/21 at 11:41pm

I saw this last week and it was - fine. Victoria Clark is the reason to see it. She's fantastic. It felt like a privilege watching her give that performance. Beyond that it's just kinda there.

You realize early on that this is the Jeanine Tesori that wrote Shrek, not the Jeanine Tesori you remembered from the Caroline Or Change revival you just saw. Understandable, because this is once again a collaboration with David Lindsay Abaire. She seems like a composer greatly influenced by her collaborator. This isn't a good thing or a bad thing, I'm just the least interested in Tesori when Tesori is with Abaire.

The show low-key felt like Tesori and Abaire sat down and decided they would create their version of the spate of teen shows that have been popping up (Be More Chill, Lightning Thief). What they do is better than those two shows, but it just isn't the most enthralling. I realize this was a play before it was a musical, but it still felt like they realized Abaire had a play that could fit in with those awkward teen musicals, and they wanted to experiment with the genre.

Nothing is bad. It's well performed. The final song has been stuck in my head for several days. But I was not really moved. Had a pleasant time. Probably will have a hard time remembering the show in 5 years.

Updated On: 11/22/21 at 11:41 PM

[jdrye222]

Posted: 11/27/21 at 10:44pm

The show is somewhat fine… Saw it yesterday. The score is so-so, definitely Tesori’s worst (but that’s not bad, as said above). The directing is horrendous. But the cast is talented enough to overcome that.
I truly do not understand why anyone thought this was a role for Victoria Clark. From the moment she walked onstage, it was a caricature and it never felt honest at all. The worst is when she sings… her singing voice has absolutely nothing to do with her speaking voice (and especially the way Tesori writes in general, that is a huge detriment)…. But it’s also that she has always had a break in her voice where she suddenly seems to have no other way to produce the notes than to go into legit opera soprano (again, nothing to do with her character). It severely damaged what could otherwise have been an interesting role. The only other weak link is Bonnie Milligan who is about a funny as Medea (mentioned in the show), and seems to be walking through a badly written role without even trying to do much about it. Overall the cast seems to at least be trying hard - she’s the only one who seems like she’d rather be anyplace else. 
The MAJOR BRIGHT SPOT is Justin Cooley. Phenomenal from the outset - interesting, charming, funny, sympathetic, endearing. A lovely lovely NY debut from someone we’d never heard of, which for me made it worth attending. He shines the entire time. 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 11/28/21 at 12:46am

A lot of folks are pointing out the disconnect between Clark's singing voice and her characterization but that felt like a very deliberate choice given the nature of the character. I realize that just because something is intentional doesn't mean it's successful... but what some are pointing out as a flaw felt like a really effective way to express the difference between the character's inner life and her outer presentation. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/28/21 at 12:56am

Also, Shrek low key has an amazing score, so I wouldn't list that as a negative. 

[jdrye222]

Posted: 11/28/21 at 3:41am

KJisgroovy said: "A lot of folks are pointing out the disconnect between Clark's singing voice and her characterization but that felt like a very deliberate choice given the nature of the character. I realize that just because something is intentional doesn't mean it's successful... but what some are pointing out as a flaw felt like a really effective way to express the difference between the character's inner life and her outer presentation."

I get what you’re saying, but it is not deliberate for this character - it’s the way she’s always sung (to varying levels of distraction from her character) …. And that aside - for that to make sense, it would only be happening half the time in this instance, because not EVERY song is her “inner life” - there are plenty of sung moments that are, indeed, her “outer presentation”. 

[Here I Am]

Posted: 11/28/21 at 7:40am

I absolutely adore Jeanine Tesori, so this is definitely on my list of shows to see. It was on TDF a lot and all of sudden it’s gone. I guess word of mouth is making sales pick up. Does anybody know if they have a rush policy?

[swoboda]

Posted: 11/28/21 at 8:13pm

TodayTix has a $25 lottery. I sat in Row C for today's matinee. I was a winner in yesterdays drawing.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 11/29/21 at 1:06am

jdrye222 said: "The only other weak link is Bonnie Milligan who is about a funny as Medea (mentioned in the show), and seems to be walking through a badly written role without even trying to do much about it. Overall the cast seems to at least be trying hard - she’s the only one who seems like she’d rather be anyplace else."

I'm still putting the rest of my thoughts together but I have to push back on this. She was the funniest part of a very funny ensemble show and probably had the catchiest song of the night. And even if you hate how the character was written, she is giving a committed performance. She's landing her jokes and belting her face off. Not for a minute did she seem bored to me. You can criticize the show without insulting her.

 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 11/29/21 at 9:49am

I agree, VintageSnarker. Milligan was a standout and had the audience laughing (some folks arguably laughing too hard/loud/prolonged) at yesterday's matinee. I won the lottery and was seated in row D, right in the center. They were great seats.

I thought the show was good, not great. I'm a sucker for a Tesori score so I generally enjoyed the music. I thought Act 2 was weak and dragged down my overall assessment of the show. The plot doesn't really make sense and I can't figure out if that was intentional or not.

Curious if this has aspirations to transfer to Broadway.

The cherry on top of a nice matinee was bumping into Christopher Fitzgerald on my way out. His partner is the Director of the show.

[swoboda]

Posted: 11/29/21 at 10:10am

kwoc91 said: "I agree, VintageSnarker. Milligan was a standout and had the audience laughing (some folks arguably laughing too hard/loud/prolonged) at yesterday's matinee. I won the lottery and was seated in row D, right in the center. They were great seats.

I thought the show was good, not great. I'm a sucker for a Tesori score so I generally enjoyed the music. I thought Act 2 was weak and dragged down my overall assessment of the show. The plot doesn't really make sense and I can't figure out if that was intentional or not.

Curious if this has aspirations to transfer to Broadway.

The cherry on top of a nice matinee was bumping into Christopher Fitzgerald on my way out. His partner is the Director of the show."

I sat in Row C Seat 7 for the same performance. The draw for me was Victoria Clark who definitely didn't disappoint. A 60 something actress playing a 15 year old teen who looks to be 70 is quite an acting challenge and she did it convincingly. 

      Reminded me of Fun Home musically but the family story is quite bizarre and unfocused. Perhaps that was the intent - to portray that dysfunction contrasted with the perceptions of a young girl with a terrible health condition. I cried and laughed but was ultimately disappointed with too many loose ends that lacked credibility.

     

Updated On: 11/29/21 at 10:10 AM

[kwoc91]

Posted: 11/29/21 at 11:33am

swoboda said: Perhaps that was the intent - to portray that dysfunction contrasted with the perceptions of a young girl with a terrible health condition. I cried and laughed but was ultimately disappointed with too many loose ends that lacked credibility."

My friend drew a similar conclusion - that the plot almost didn't matter because it was more about Kimberly breaking free from all the dysfunction surrounding her and taking control of the limited time she has left in her life. He was also crying at the end so I think it resonated with him more than it did with me.

I'd love to see Act 2 a bit more focused if it undergoes any changes/future productions. I think it's a bit too ambiguous and not in a good way. I was fully on board with the show at intermission!

I'm also going to add that I loved the teens and their sexuality/show choir storylines. That hit very close to home, lol