author: Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington
Occasionally a show comes along that is difficult to explain: on paper it sounds as if it shouldn’t work, and you can’t imagine why someone would come up with this idea, but in the end, you are really dang happy that they did. I would recommend this show for anyone ages 12 and up, as there is something in it for everyone.
Kimberly Akimbo, a new musical about growing up, is at the National Theater from May 20 to June 1, 2025. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (who won the Pulitzer Prize for his play “Rabbit Hole”), the show concerns a teenage girl named Kim (Carolee Carmello) who has a rare genetic condition that makes her age about four years for every year she’s alive. At sixteen, she looks like she is 64. The Broadway production received critical acclaim and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score. The touring cast is one of the strongest I have seen in some time, evenly cast and incredibly talented. It is delightful that each member of the cast gets at least one moment to truly shine.
The musical gives an unorthodox twist to the universal theme of any teen feeling alien to their peers and family, or who feel as if they are outsiders in their own bodies. Yet while the premise sounds tragic, the script emphasizes comedy and lightness to tell this unusual story.
The show is set somewhere in Bergen County, NJ in 1999, before kids had cell phones, juggling multiple characters. Kimberly’s new teen friends are Seth — played by Miguel Gil as the sweetest nerd imaginable — and an adorable quartet of show-choir enthusiasts (Grace Capeless, Darron Hayes, Skye Alyssa Friedman, and Pierce Wheeler) who are busy trying to perfect a “Dreamgirls” review. They see the present as something to survive so they can start their lives when they finish school and leave their hometown, looking forward to colleges, careers, and families, while Kimberly poignantly observes that she’ll never have any of that, so needs to make this time count. However they all see themselves as misfits, the ones who never get invited to parties.
Kim’s family life is bumpy, with a beer loving father (Jim Hogan) and a distracted, narcissistic mother (Dana Steingold) who is focused on her current pregnancy. Kim’s Aunt Debra (Emily Koch) is a scam artist who enlists Kim and her friends in her latest scheme (so they will all have the money they need for their dreams). Yet Kimberly’s enthusiasm for living life as an adventure is positioned as a counter to her family’s self-obsessions. (One may be left asking questions as to why the family behaves the way they do. They are not “bad” people yet behave irresponsibly. Kimberly’s parents were in high school when they got pregnant. They don’t come from money and can’t afford to make Kimberly’s short life spectacular, so they opt for normalcy, but have no idea what that is. Everyone is hoping for a better future beautifully summed up in the song “This Time.”)
Director Jessica Stone juggles this quirky, eccentric mix to make Kimberly Akimbo deliver both heart-breaking moments and lots of laughs. An interesting choice is to downplay any focus on Kim’s disease, which is not fully explained until Act Two, but is like Progeria with a life expectancy of the age of 16, the birthday that Kimberly is celebrating.
As Kim, Carolee Carmello is age-appropriate for how the aged Kimberly is supposed to look but is also convincing as a teen longing for a normal family and some adventure before she dies. Her gorgeous vocals are light and fun as she imagines in song how the Make A Wish Foundation can turn her into a sought-after fashion model or give her a yacht, then devastatingly poignant when she recognizes that her self-absorbed parents will never put her first. There is sorrow and anger here, but also resilience. She earns the name Akimbo. On stage for nearly the entire show, Carmello displays an energy and charisma that celebrates the character in a way that would be difficult for most to pull off and she makes it look so easy.
Jim Hogan and Dana Steingold portray Kimberly’s incorrigible parents, Buddy and Pattie. Hogan and Steingold bring enough empathy to their flawed characters that we still empathize with Kimberly’s desire to be seen by them. Both actors have powerful voices and great acting chops. However, I think it is Hogan who stands out in his ability to make bursting into song seem as natural as chugging a beer. He lends a believability to his character, a regular guy who got married too young, became a father too young, faced incredible challenges too young and is just trying to survive and cope with another beer.
Emily Koch is in the scene stealing role as Kimberly’s malefactor Aunt Debra, who does a significant amount of the show’s comedic heavy lifting and belts the show stopping contemporary gospel number “Better.” Koch can belt out a tune to bring the house down.
Overall, the music by Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”) and Lindsay-Abaire is sometimes clever lyrically but not particularly memorable. One of the best numbers is “Anagram” in which Kimberly marvels at how differently Seth looks at the world. “Happy For Her” features Kimberly, her father Buddy and Seth in a “car” (just a front seat and steering wheel) with lyrics that rise to hilarity. The counter balance is the thought-provoking song “The Inevitable Turn” which reveals the inner thoughts of our hapless family wanting to enjoy a meal, waiting for the moment someone will ruin it.
The bright, whimsical colors and styles of both David Zinn’s set and Sarah Laux’s costumes add to the almost cartoony, out-size quality that allows so much humor and lightness in a potentially tragic story. The overall experience may be a bit disjointed, leaving us wondering at times who the target audience is intended to be, but enjoyable in its eccentricity.
Not for under 12 due to mature themes and strong language.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
Kimberly Akimbo plays through June 1st 2025 with Broadway at The National— 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets call the box office at (202) 628-6161 or purchase them online.
