Even though “Kimberly Akimbo” won Best Musical, Best Book for a Musical and Best Original Score at last year’s Tony Awards, it’s still largely unknown to musical theater-goers outside New York City.
San Diego is only the second stop on the musical’s first national tour, and in talking to other ticket-holders at Wednesday night’s performance, I found that many attendees weren’t quite sure what to expect. From its plot description, “Kimberly Akimbo” is a hard sell, but over the course of 2 hours and 25 minutes, the hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking show won over Wednesday’s near-capacity crowd.
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, with a score by Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”), it’s about 16-year-old Kimberly Levaco, the lonely new girl at a suburban New Jersey high school in 1999. She suffers from a rare premature aging disorder that will likely lead to her death within a year. Her flawed parents are too consumed with their own issues and plans for a new baby to notice her struggles. But she finds a welcoming circle of nerdy, ice-skating classmates at school, and her anagram-loving teen crush Seth, along with her wild aunt Debra, a serial fraudster, are determined to grant Kimberly’s final wish for a grand adventure before she dies.
The musical’s score does not have the classic Broadway sound. Instead, the songs mirror in style the speech patterns of the characters. Some of the best numbers are the quirky duet “Anagram,” Debra’s rousing solo “Better,” Seth’s confessional “Good Kid” and Kimberly’s second-act tear-jerker “Before I Go.”
The touring production is a carbon copy of the Broadway show in scenic and costume design, which were both directed with humor and poignance by Jessica Stone, but with an all-new cast. The touring show is just as funny and the characters are just as odd and lovable. But the tour lacks the two vocal powerhouses who stole the show in New York: Victoria Clark as Kimberly and Bonnie Milligan as Debra — who both won Tony Awards for their performances.
As Kimberly on tour, Carolee Carmello has an endearing subtlety in portraying her character’s kindness, unexpressed pain and youthful joy. Miguel Gil is a standout as Seth, the tuba-playing teen who sees Kimberly’s inner beauty. Dana Steingold is a terrific singer and actress as Pattie, Kimberly’s emotionally disconnected mother. And Jim Hogan is a likable lug as Kimberly’s alcoholic dad.
“Kimberly Akimbo” charms with its originality, it’s unique mix of laugh-out-loud and bittersweet moments and its one-of-a-kind characters. There is some adult language in the script, so it’s not suited for children. And its gentle score, without the belting, big-finish numbers Broadway is known for, may not be for everyone. But it’s one of my favorite musicals and it’s definitely worth seeing.
‘Kimberly Akimbo’
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10; 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13
Where: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown
Tickets: $41-$191 (a select number of $30 tickets will be offered via lottery for each performance via the Broadway San Diego or Broadway Direct mobile apps)
Online: broadwaysd.com/-events/kimberly-akimbo
