KIMBERLY AKIMBO Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 12:00am

Quick – what’s an anagram for “highly anticipated”?

Fresh off a critically acclaimed run at Atlantic Theatre Company last fall, Kimberly Akimbo begins previews tomorrow night at the Booth Theatre, before a November 10 official opening. The tuner features music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire, choreography by Danny Mefford, and direction by Jessica Stone. Victoria Clark leads the cast in the titular role; rounding out the onstage company are Justin Cooley, Steven Boyer, Alli Mauzey, Bonnie Milligan, Olivia Elease Hardy, Fernell Hogan, Michael Iskander, and Nina White.

“Tony Award winner Victoria Clark stars as Kim, a bright and funny Jersey teen who just 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.”

Who’s embarking on this great adventure?

[Phillyguy]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 8:03am

Have tix for this Sunday. Looking forward to it!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 9:36am

Veteran's Day Weekend for me.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 10:11am

I was just poking around on Telecharge, and there are A LOT of open seats for this week/ weekend. This show is definitely going to have an uphill battle. Hopefully word of mouth and reviews will help.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 10:20am

This feels like it had tons of momentum last fall but I haven’t heard much lately. Is it still highly anticipated? I have a day coming up where I have two slots but I can’t decide between four shows (this, piano lesson, salesman, top/under); any thoughts?

[binau]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 10:32am

There appears to be no buzz and it looks like the show could be one of the biggest flops we have seen in a while, but the show utterly charming, the score is catchy and the performances are excellent. Even the more reason to prioritise it because you probably won’t see much of it again soon. 

Updated On: 10/11/22 at 10:32 AM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 12:24pm

Seems a bit too soon to forecast it as one of the biggest flops we've seen in awhile, despite the somewhat tepid ticket sales at the moment.

[sppunk]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 12:52pm

Have tickets for Jan 16 and seriously am doubting it’s still open past the New Year. Very sad. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 12:52pm

This is selling poorly - no buzz or advertising at all and 1st night of previews is embarrassing. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:12pm

Brand new niche musical with no celebs… I’m sure all involved know what to expect. 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:44pm

Seeing it in December. The Prom had no stars- and was a big, unexpected hit- so it can happen. Lots of niche musicals have made it without big stars- though, of course, the odds are highly against this. Hoping for the best- the reviews Off BWAY have been so good that I really wanted to see it- plus YouTube clips are very good as well.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:51pm

BWAY Baby2 said: "Seeing it in December. The Prom had no stars- and was a big, unexpected hit- so it can happen. Lots of niche musicals have made it without big stars- though, of course, the odds are highly against this. Hoping for the best- the reviews Off BWAY have been so good that I really wanted to see it- plus YouTube clips are very good as well."

I love The Prom, but in what world was it a “big, unexpected hit?”

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:52pm

BWAY Baby2 said: "Seeing it in December. The Prom had no stars- and was a big, unexpected hit- so it can happen. Lots of niche musicals have made it without big stars- though, of course, the odds are highly against this. Hoping for the best- the reviews Off BWAY have been so good that I really wanted to see it- plus YouTube clips are very good as well."

 

THE PROM was a great show with an unexpectedly decent run -- but it was in no way, shape or form a "hit" (unfortunately).

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:12pm

The show began previews at the Longacre Theatre on October 23, 2018, with an official opening on November 15, 2018. The production closed on August 11, 2019, having played 23 previews and 309 regular performances. The production cost $13.5 million to stage and did not recoup its investment.

TRUE- it was not a big hit- but it did run a while- and it got great reviews from a lot of fans who loved it. Hoping Kimberly is a high quality production - and , if so, gets the audience support it needs to have a decent run- and even recoup its investment. 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:15pm

It's more accurate to say The Prom limped for a while- producers kept pumping money into it, apparently hoping for a Tony or a word-of-mouth pickup.

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:18pm

Totally not trying to derail this thread, but BWAY Baby2, the term "hit" is typically reserved in the industry for financial successes on Broadway—i.e., shows that did recoup their initial investments. The Prom lost a ton of money on Broadway. I get what you're saying in terms of it finding a very outspoken, supportive audience, but I might use a word like "crowdpleaser" over "hit."

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:42pm

atleast The Prom had several Broadway veterans (Beth, Brooks, Chris, Michael Potts) in it and was directed/cherographed by a Tony winner and had a much less weird story and might brighter ad-campaign 

this show has three notiable names, one of which has never done a musical on Broadway and is directed by a total unknown, the website is blah, the social media is blah, the entire ad campaign is blah

the fact they aren't papering this first week is kind of absurd 

If this last past January 15th then its either because a major sales shift somehow happened (it already got rave reviews off-broadway and tons of awards so not sure how reviews will cause a spike) or the producers are going to burn money for 7 months hoping it wins best musical which if A Strange Loop showed us today is no longer the garuantee recoupment marker it used to be

[Collingswood]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 4:48pm

WOW, it's astonishing to read some of these posts saying (in so many words) this show is dead on arrival. I'm sure they said the same thing about other original musicals like:

The Band's Visit

Fun Home

A Gentlemen's Guide to Love & Murder

Come From Away

Hadestown

Dear Evan Hanson

I could go on...Go see live theater!!

 

 

[binau]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 4:56pm

We are talking about ticket sales only and no, I don’t think I’d say the same thing about most of those shows because they had much stronger starts at the box office. Look, I could be wrong and I genuinely hope I am because I love the show - I remember being one of the first here to praise it after some mixed reviews. But just look at the empty seats for the first week and beyond. Previews start tomorrow. This is not a healthy start for a show and it is very difficult to gain the momentum it needs. Especially at this time of year - it’s not a stereotypical spring opening that Tony nominations and a win might help. This is more THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS than FUN HOME. 

[MidWestTheater]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:04pm

I saw the show off-broadway last November and fell in love with it. I found it so charming, funny, and adorable, with a really lovely score. I'm seeing it again a few days after the show opens in November. Who's to say if this show will be a huge hit or flop. I'm sure the reviews will be great, just like they were off-bway or even better depending on changes made. I think who ever is behind the marketing of this show, should really focus on Justin Cooley. Not only is he fantastic in the show, but he has that "it" factor. I could totally see pieces being written about him, the fact that he was still in school when he was cast. This is a "CBS Sunday Morning" piece in the making.  I remember turning to my bf at intermission and saying "That kid's a star". 

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:14pm

I think there's a path to success for this show based on word-of-mouth and good critical reception (both of which this show already has). Everyone in this thread is pointing to intimate, serious drama musicals or big musical comedies, but this show is much more along the lines of a ...Spelling Bee or Urinetown, a small, off-beat/quirky musical comedy. It doesn't have broad name-recognition right now, but the fans are deeply enthusiastic. I've recommended it to lots of people from out-of-town, and I can tell you it's much easier to convince someone to buy tickets to "a quirky comedy in the '90s about a teenager who looks like she's in her 60s and commits check fraud to help her friends get a costume budget for their show choir" than "Egyptian musicians buy the wrong bus tickets and end up in the middle of nowhere and nothing happens, but trust me, it's beautiful." I expect numbers to grow over the first several weeks of the run as buzz re-builds.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:25pm

This show was always going to be a tough sell and the advertising campaign is not helping.

They have to work out fast what this show is about in a few sentences. Without a big title, star actor or famous writing team, it is gong to be very hard to make this musical a hit.

It already has a New York Times Critic Pix and lots of great quotes from critics - yet, ticket sales are still very soft.

Fingers crossed. 

[Collingswood]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 5:45pm

Ravenclaw said: "I think there's a path to success for this show based on word-of-mouth and good critical reception (both of which this show already has). Everyone in this thread is pointing to intimate, serious drama musicals or big musical comedies, but this show is much more along the lines of a ...Spelling BeeorUrinetown, a small, off-beat/quirky musical comedy. It doesn't have broad name-recognition right now, but the fans are deeply enthusiastic. I've recommended it to lots of people from out-of-town, and I can tell you it's much easier to convince someone to buy tickets to "a quirky comedy in the '90s about a teenager who looks like she's in her 60s and commits check fraud to help her friends get a costume budget for their show choir" than "Egyptian musicians buy the wrong bus tickets and end up in the middle of nowhere and nothing happens, but trust me, it's beautiful." I expect numbers to grow over the first several weeks of the run as buzz re-builds."

Excellent analysis and well said!!

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/12/22 at 4:48pm

Probably not a good sign, but tonight's preview is available at 50% off on TKTS.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/12/22 at 6:24pm

It’s not a sign at all: very few people outside of the New York / Broadway community have ever heard of this. It’s a new musical and it’s going to have an uphill road, but I think (hope, pray) that it gets the necessary rave reviews and good word of mouth for a nice run straight through the Tony’s.