KIMBERLY AKIMBO Reviews — Page 11

Jumpin_J said: "Yes, congrats to the show. It will join the cluster of "niche" shows like A Strange Loop and The Band's Visit of shows that won the Tony, didn't make money, and will likely close by February. That's just a fact. The show has rarely broken $600K weekly and I'm sure it costs at least that much just to keep the lights on. Will they get a bump from Sunday? Probably, but not a long lasting one. David Stone who produced Wicked has deep pockets and wanted that Tony. Well he got it at the expense of his fellow investors. Hope it was worth it."

I have grown a bit weary of this fact-free narrative. If you’re going to come on a Broadway message board and act like a know-it-all, try using Google and doing some basic research. I don’t know yet whether Kimberly Akimbo will recoup, but The Band’s Visit did. So did Fun Home, another ‘niche’ musical that also recouped on tour and is performed constantly in regional and community theaters. There are other smaller musicals that have gone on to greater success, with or without Tony’ Awards: Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Hadestown. All niche efforts that have made investors plenty.

We all will be watching to see how Kimberly Akimbo does during the next few months. It has low running costs, so the show doesn’t need to turn into MJ to become a financial success. But the future isn’t written. Why don’t you wait and see before pronouncing Kimberly Akimbo a flop? Neither one of us knows.

Further, while I didn’t like Kimberly Akimbo nearly as much as critics and Tony voters, even while admiring the performances, niche shows like it are admirable efforts that I want to succeed. Otherwise, we will get nothing but jukebox musicals, revivals with big names, and adaptations of popular films. Those all have their place, but so do artistically ambitious musicals for adults.

Kimberly Akimbo is sold out tonight. The last available tickets were a pair of premium seats for more than $200 each.

While I do think Kimberly Akimbo's sales will rise up significantly, I see it having a similar outcome as A Strange Loop in that it sees a boost and then falls off after about 8-12 weeks. Whoever said KA costs 400k per week is wrong; it is 570k, a much higher number than many thought. I see it lasting through at least September, maybe January if it holds it out a little longer. The reason I say this is because Tony viewership has been significantly down since the mid 2010s, when shows like Fun Home and A Band's Visit won and had a healthy run and recouped. I think KA can (and likely will) hit 700k, but probably not higher than 800k, through the remainder of the summer. The size of the theatre is very small, and this show still won't appeal to tourists as much, regardless of the Tony win. I think Some Like It Hot will see an increase in sales due to the fact that the small amount of tourists that actually DID watch the Tony's are more likely to be intrigued by that show rather than KA, just based off of their performance alone. I wish all shows a long and healthy run, but we do have to think logistically given this is a business. 

It's up from last year and 2021, which were historically low numbers. However, it is still significantly down from prior years. Viewership was great when Fun Home and A Band's Visit won, but it it's not looking good viewership-wise this year. It's still VERY low. 

Where are people getting their numbers for these running costs? I've seen 400k, 480k, 570k, and more and every time it's someone confidently proclaiming it without a source. 

kdogg36 said: I respect your point, but I can't remember anyone else saying "viewership was great" regarding the Tony Awards in my lifetime.

I mean, viewership is never "great" with the Tony's...but it's definitely clear when viewership is down much lower than it should be to really advertise and sell these shows. 

jkcohen626 said: Where are people getting their numbers for these running costs? I've seen 400k, 480k, 570k, and more and every time it's someone confidently proclaiming it without a source. 

This number is from the Broadway Journal, which tends to be very accurate when it comes to capitalization and running costs. It was notated that these running costs were in the SEC filing when raising money for it. 

quizking101 said: "TamzBway said: "Hey all! Sooo happy Kimberly won! I'm just wondering if anyone got to see Betsy go on for Bonnie? I'd love to hear about it!"

There was a pre-Tonys interview with Milligan a few weeks ago where the interviewer brought up that Milligan has yet to miss a single performance."

Betsy went on for Bonnie last week for the first time. I believe on Saturday.

Cross-post from my Instagram last night after their first performance as Best Musical.

The first time I saw Kimberly Akimbo, I wept. Openly. And it has managed to catch me off guard in almost the same way every time. And yet? It’s one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. “Surely,” I thought, “there is some obscure German word for this feeling.”

But David Lindsay-Abaire’s book tells you exactly what it is, not foreign or obscure at all. Bittersweet. “The bitter sweets.” Laughing so hard, you cry; or crying so hard, you have to laugh. Very specifically, the feeling of overwhelming joy and sadness existing alongside each other.

That is Kimberly Akimbo in a nutshell; the theatrical manifestation of that happy-sadness; potent enough to conjure up the memory of your first kiss, the first time you left home, the last time you saw your grandmother in the hospital, birthdays, reunions, all of it. It catches in your chest like a sob, and comes out a guffaw.

Long story short, musicals like Kimberly Akimbo make me grateful to be alive to see them. I am not paid or bribed to say that or to see it as many times as I have (up to 7 now); just a painfully sincere theatre nerd.

Updated On: 6/14/23 at 07:29 AM

@ColortheHours048 - what a beautiful post!  This is the one show that I've been wanting to see, but life has interrupted NYC trips for the time being.

I don’t know what happened with the matinee, but tonight’s show is sold out too.

I have no idea how long this will last, but Kimberly Akimbo  is now a hot ticket after months of discounts.

I don't know if she can sing but I would love to see Molly Shannon play Kimberly. 

Spoilers for the "different light" moment:

Gil will also be on for Seth from June 27 — July 2, except for the matinee on the 28th when Alex Vinh is set to play the role.