KIMBERLY AKIMBO Previews — Page 5

Perhaps with the show being in previews for less than a week, it's a tad premature to predict the failure and demise of this wonderful show. Word of mouth, the wisdom of David Stone, et al might surprise you.

djoko84 said: "Some of the comments on this thread are crazy. New musicals like this are hard to sell right off the bat. Once it gets raves then the sales will jump. Only people who are "in-the-know" on Broadway know it's the frontrunner for Best Musical next year. Tourists and casual viewers don't know that. You have to give a show like this time to find an audience and get good word-of-mouth."

Agree with this, as well as with those who have questioned if the show's marketing and messaging is helping its cause.

veronicamae said: "To those who have questioned the advertising, marketing, and press (three separate but symbiotic ventures), I'm curious what you'd do differently. In NYC, I see ads for it on TV, online, and in the Times, and I've received an email or two from various outlets."

I have repeatedly said I find it sitcom-y in a specific way. I'd focus the advertising less on the kids and more on the family without giving anything away. Arguably the main catalyst is the new baby and the pressure that creates. There's a way to frame it so the focus is on the family dynamics, and there just happens to be a protagonist who is rapidly aging. Sell it to people who still love family sitcoms and in a way that doesn't make it seem like a show for children.

The current commercial makes it seem like it's entirely about the glee club and sells it on the good reviews. Admittedly, the new Little Mermaid trailer wastes a lot of time building up suspense. But it ends on the "I Want" song. If you don't know anything about the show from off-Broadway, you don't know what Kimberly wants or much of what the show is about.

Has the creative team made any changes to the score for Broadway? Have numbers been removed/added?

BoringBoredBoard40 said: ""I think it will likely get great reviews next month and get the momentum it needed to last until the Tony season."

Why do people keep writing this like the show didnt already get rave reviews less then 12 months ago

If reviews were going to help sales it would be happening, the reviews are very likely to be exactly what they have been utilizing in all their current advertising...."

If we're talking about appealing to an audience besides the diehards, off-Broadway reviews from a year ago are a distant whisper to the bridge-and-tunnel crowd and probably never even made it to anyone else.

If you hear about this show and look it up, you will see that it's already been a Critic's Pick from the Times. But, the goal is to make it to people who aren't already researching the show. It's as much about the reach of new reviews as it is about the content itself.

A brand new Times review (especially a Critics Pick) printed and distributed to millions of potential readers across the country has power. It could be completely copied from their last review and the act of reprinting and redistributing it would still do wonders for this show.

A few lyrical tweaks, and one new song to close Act One. Otherwise virtually unchanged.

Frankly, I can't wait to see this show. When I visit, it's number one. I don't see how the people who already gave it raves can possibly change their opinion. It will get raves and people will see it and, from what I've read, love it and tell other people about it. So it won't be The Lion King or Mama Mia. Many people just want a quality musical.

TamzBway said: "Awesome! Quick q - when you win the lotto, do they let you know seat locations prior to you paying? Thanks!"

To the best of my knowledge, they do not. There are only 800 seats in this theatre though. I have trouble believing that any seat is really going to be that bad, especially if you're getting it at a discounted rate. However, they do an in-person rush and you will definitely get seat info and maybe some limited selection if you go for that.

BoringBoredBoard40 said: ""I think it will likely get great reviews next month and get the momentum it needed to last until the Tony season."

Why do people keep writing this like the show didnt already get rave reviews less then 12 months ago

If reviews were going to help sales it would be happening, the reviews are very likely to be exactly what they have been utilizing in all their current advertising...."

The average broadway ticket buyer has no clue about an off-broadway run or off-broadway success. This needs new marketing and a ton of word of mouth to start building an audience.

Updated On: 10/19/22 at 12:18 PM

I've been struggling to articulate why I liked the show but didn't love it -- and I wanted to love it. I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum. If you loved it, great! I thought the cast was fantastic, and I hope the show does well.

But the fact that, to me, the show leaned too hard into whimsy stopped me from fully emotionally responding to it. I do tend to enjoy D L-A's less whimsical work over his more whimsical work, so my reaction might be in that vein. But even accepting that the goal here was to balance touching intimacy with goofball comedy, I wish the show hadn't felt overstuffed with unnecessary plot elements -- why the family left Lodi, the "let's all plan a caper" bit, the show choir needing new costumes as a subplot, etc. This is a story about a family -- how they deal (or don't) with curveballs life throws their way -- and I guess I wish that had been the focus. There's plenty of comedy and tragedy to explore in that.

Updated On: 10/19/22 at 09:04 PM