''Kimberly Akimbo'' is a 2021 musical with music by

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori (known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson) is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway mu ...

, and lyrics and book by

David Lindsay-Abaire David Lindsay-Abaire ( Abaire; born November 14, 1969) is an American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for his play '' Rabbit Hole'', which also earned several Tony Award nominations. Early ...

. It is based on Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 comedy of the same name. The show tells the story of a lonely teenage girl, Kim, who suffers from a condition similar to

progeria Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the Nucleus of the cell ...

that causes her to age rapidly, thereby giving her the appearance of an elderly woman, and how, according to ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's pr ...

,'' " rced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side." The show's premiere production opened Off-Broadway on December 8, 2021, at the

Linda Gross Theater Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acti ...

in Manhattan; it was critically acclaimed, and won Best Musical prizes at the

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

Lucille Lortel Lucille Lortel (née Wadler, December 16, 1900 – April 4, 1999) was an American actress, artistic director, and theatrical producer. In the course of her career Lortel produced or co-produced nearly 500 plays, five of which were nominated for ...

, and

Outer Critics Circle Awards The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

. The show then moved to Broadway, opening at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

on November 12, 2022 (with previews beginning on October 12).

Background

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire's comedy ''

Kimberly Akimbo ''Kimberly Akimbo'' is a play written in 2000 by David Lindsay-Abaire. Its title character is a lonely teenage girl suffering from a disease similar to progeria, that causes her to age four and a half times as fast as normal, thus trapping her in ...

'' made its premiere in 2001, at the

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

in Costa Mesa, California; it eventually moved Off-Broadway in 2003, at the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has gr ...

, in a production featuring

Marylouise Burke use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

John Gallagher, Jr John Howard Gallagher Jr. (born June 17, 1984) is an American actor and musician best known for originating the role of Moritz Stiefel in the 2006 rock musical '' Spring Awakening'', which earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musi ...

., and

Ana Gasteyer Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's ''Suburgatory,'' TBS's '' People of Earth'', NBC's ' ...

. Lindsay-Abaire's other plays include ''

Fuddy Meers ''Fuddy Meers'' is an American play by David Lindsay-Abaire. It tells the story of an amnesiac, Claire, who awakens each morning as a blank slate on which her husband and teenage son must imprint the facts of her life. One morning Claire is abduc ...

'' (1999), '' Good People'' (2011), and '' Rabbit Hole'' (2006), for which he won the 2007

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. Jeanine Tesori has written the music for stage musicals such as ''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

'' (2000), ''

Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...

'' (2003), ''

Shrek the Musical ''Shrek The Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', ''Shrek Forever After'' a ...

'' (2008), and ''

Fun Home ''Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' is a 2006 graphic memoir by the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For''. It chronicles the author's childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, United States, fo ...

'' (2013); she has also been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, for ''Fun Home'' and ''

Soft Power In politics (and particularly in international politics), soft power is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce (contrast hard power). In other words, soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. A defin ...

'' (2018). Lindsay-Abaire and Tesori had previously worked together on ''Shrek the Musical''.

Productions

''Kimberly Akimbo'''s premiere production ran Off-Broadway from December 8, 2021 to January 15, 2022 (with previews beginning on November 6), at the Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan, produced by the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their actin ...

. Directed by Jessica Stone, its cast included

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-winner

Victoria Clark Victoria Clark (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, musical theatre singer and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her soprano voice can also be heard on innume ...

, Tony nominee

Steven Boyer Steven Boyer (also known as Steve Boyer, born February 15, 1979) is an American stage and television actor, comedian, and musician, from Westerville, Ohio. He is best known for originating the role of Jason/Tyrone in '' Hand to God'' Off-Broadway ...

Alli Mauzey Alli Mauzey (born in Anaheim Hills, California) is an American actress and singer best known for her performance as Glinda in the Broadway and 1st national tour productions of ''Wicked'' and for originating the role of Lenora in the musical ''C ...

, and Justin Cooley. Set design was by

David Zinn David Zinn is a costume and scenic designer based in New York, New York. He has been nominated seven times for the Tony Award for both his costume designs and scenic designs, winning one Best Scenic Design for a Play award for ''The Humans'' an ...

; costume design was by Sarah Laux; lighting design was by Lap Chi Chu; sound design was by Kai Harada; choreography was by Danny Mefford; and orchestrations were by John Clancy, with additional musical arrangements by Macy Schmidt. The show then moved to Broadway, at the

, opening on November 10, 2022 (with previews beginning on October 12), produced by David Stone, the Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander,

LaChanze Rhonda LaChanze Sapp, known professionally as LaChanze (; born December 16, 1961), is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2006 for her role as Celie Harris Johnson ...

, John Gore, Patrick Catullo and Aaron Glick. For this production, lighting design was by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

Musical numbers

;Act I *"Skater Planet" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth, Kimberly *"Hello, Darling" - Pattie *"Make a Wish" - Kimberly *"Skater Planet (reprise #1)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Anagram" - Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Better" - Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Hello, Darling (reprise)/Father Time" - Pattie *"Happy For Her" - Buddy *"Anagram (reprise)" - Kimberly *"This Time" - Company ;Act II *"How to Wash a Check" - Debra, Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Good Kid" - Seth *"Hello, Baby" - Buddy *"Skater Planet (reprise #2)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth *"Our Disease" - Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"The Inevitable Turn" - Pattie, Buddy, Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Now" - Seth, Kimberly *"How to Wash a Check (reprise)" - Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa *"Before I Go" - Kimberly, Buddy, Pattie *"Hello, Sister" - Kimberly, Seth *"Great Adventure" - Company

Cast and characters

Awards and nominations

2021 Off-Broadway production

References

{{DramaDesk Musical 2021 musicals Broadway musicals Off-Broadway musicals Musicals by David Lindsay-Abaire Musicals by Jeanine Tesori Musicals based on plays