Theater Review – December 4, 2024

INSIGHTFUL “KIMBERLY AKIMBO” IN A TOP PRODUCTION DAZZLES AT ASU GAMMAGE

“Kimberly Akimbo”
Broadway Across America – Arizona, ASU Gammage
Tempe, AZ

By Chris Curcio
Theater Critic

A giant but amazingly intimate and fabulously perceptive musical, “Kimberly Akimbo” focuses on a teenage girl, the title character, who has a rare disease that causes her to age over four times as fast as normal.  An astonishing touring production brings this wonderful show to ASU Gammage this week.

Kim is new in Bergen County, New Jersey, as she integrates into the town’s teens.  She’s a realist who understands her situation but doesn’t want it to destroy her time with the other people she meets. She has unusual parents.  Buddy, her father, is a drunk and her mother, Pattie, is pregnant with another man’s child because she doesn’t want another kid with Kim’s medical condition.

The musical possesses an award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori who has penned other unique shows including “Fun Home.”  The fascinating book and lyrics are by David Lindsay-Abaire based on his play.

While the show features Kim, her family, and her struggles to be accepted, “Kimberly Akimbo” is also an insightful look at what and how kids grow up as each develops their own uniqueness.  It shows the effects that growing up has on their parents and other adults around them.  Quite deep and penetrating for a musical as it probes unusual and common situations in an analytical but understanding way.  Talk about a unique musical.

“Kimberly Akimbo” garnered a bunch of major awards including eight Tony’s as Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score among others.  Best Actress in a Musical went to original star Victoria Clark.  Clark isn’t touring but remarkable musical theater performer Carolee Carmello is outstanding as Kimberly.  She essays the teenage girl with spit-fire determination, superb vocals, and amazing conviction.  She moves and reacts as if she was a teenybopper and not as the three-time Tony winner who has performed in 16 Broadway musicals.

The entire cast surrounding the brilliant Carmello is gifted and not one role gets short-shift.  Miguel Gil is touching as Seth, Kim’s closest teenage friend.  Jim Hogan is a rambunctious Buddy and Dana Steingold is the ditsy Pattie.  The fine ensemble brings the other characters to rich and vibrant life. Jessica Stone’s fluid direction and fast-moving sets keep the show shifting effortlessly between locales.

A huge opening night complaint.  ASU Gammage was freezing with ice cold air blowing throughout the performance.  Even with the unpleasant frigid conditions in the theater, “Kimberly Akimbo” is an amazingly insightful musical about many interesting situations and conditions. It continues through Sunday, December 8.  To order tickets, call the ASU Gammage box office at 480-965-3434 or order tickets online at www.asugammage.com.

Grade: A