Skye Alyssa Friedman, Max Santopietro, Darron Hayes, and Gabby Beredo in Kimberly Akimbo (Joan Marcus)
I’ll be honest: The first few moments of Kimberly Akimbo, now onstage at the Kauffman Center, had me a bit concerned. Usually, when a show leans hard on nostalgia or pure quirk, it’s to distract from a lack of substance. I had nothing to worry about, though. It quickly became apparent that Kimberly Akimbo is all substance.
Ann Morrison leads the Broadway touring company as Kimberly Levaco, a New Jersey teen circa 1999 with a chromosomal disorder that makes her age at approximately four to five times the normal rate. So despite being just 15, on the verge of 16 (which also happens to be the average life expectancy for someone with her disease), she appears closer to 65.
One of the most remarkable choices made by playwright and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire (who also wrote the 2001 play of the same name that the musical is based on) is the lack of judgment, ridicule, or fear from Kimberly’s peers. Despite her extremely visible and unusual differences, there is no bullying, no sense of how cruel kids can be. Kimberly has a friend group and heaps of confidence. She even has a budding romance with her geeky classmate, Seth (an impossibly endearing Marcus Phillips).
That’s not to say Kimberly’s life is easy. In addition to staring down the likelihood of such an early death, her family’s shortcomings weigh on her. Her alcoholic father (Jim Hogan) and her flighty—and also very pregnant—mother (Laura Woyasz) do love her, but they also don’t express it well or often. Kimberly clearly sees their focus on the new baby as an effort to replace her, and they do nothing to assuage her of that idea. Meanwhile, Kimberly’s bawdy aunt is determined to rope all of her niece’s friends into a highly illegal get-rich-quick scheme.
Still, the musical does a solid job of presenting these as flawed but fully formed characters. We can and do feel anger at their choices, but we also understand the immense pain they’re experiencing.
Kimberly Akimbo, which won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical, is deceptively complex. Its light tone and teen aesthetics belie the darkness behind its comedy, causing that darkness to sneak up on us, amplifying its impact. In that way, it’s reminiscent of Fun Home, another beloved dark comedy with tons of heart, with music by Jeanine Tesori, who also did Kimberly Akimbo.
Between Tesori’s charming music, Lindsay-Abaire’s heartfelt script and clever lyrics, whimsical visual elements, and a stellar ensemble cast, this show has a lot of elements coming together for maximum emotional potency. But the driving force is Kimberly herself, and Morrison fully delivers in the role.
Morrison plays Kimberly with complete earnestness. It can be easy to skew that kind of characterization too young, but Kimberly is very much a teen—wide-eyed and inquisitive but not naive. She is pragmatic but, despite everything, not jaded. Her sarcasm is not snarky, but reflects her sometimes unsettlingly keen understanding of the world. Kimberly is a sharp, goofy, loving character, and Morrison is a joy to watch in the role.
Ultimately, Kimberly’s circumstances are unique but her journey is surprisingly universal. She and her friends, as well as the adults in her life, are all grappling with similar struggles. How do you cope when it feels like you have no control over your life? What do you do with all of your big dreams when the world is telling you they’ll never be realized? Kimberly Akimbo explores these questions with its heart on its sleeve.
“Kimberly Akimbo” runs through January 25 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd. For more information, visit www.americantheatreguild.com.
