Review: It Was An A+ Night For The Kids of AKIMBO AFTER SCHOOL at 54 Below

It was an A+ night for the kids of Akimbo After School at 54 Below on Sunday. Olivia Elease Hardy, Michael Iskander, Nina White, and Fernell Hogan kept true to their characters in the broadway show Kimberly Akimbo by picking songs fitting a "show choir-ish" theme. The audience was in full attendance, without a single absence, including their fellow Kimberly Akimbo friends Jeanine Tesori, David Lindsay-Abaire, Victoria Clark, and Bonnie Milligan. The quartet put on a wonderful show filled with many laughs and heartwarming moments.

The group got a chance to, individually, show off their amazing talents, as they each sang a song dedicated to Jeanine Tesori. Olivia Elease Hardy gave a touching performance, as she told a story of her first lead role as Millie from Thoroughly Modern Millie. With teary eyes she dedicated the song "Gimme Gimme" to Jeanine, seated in the audience. It was a heartfelt moment for everyone in the room, but especially for Olivia's mom, who you could hear sobbing in the back, when an image of Olivia in a short black bob, dressed as Millie at thirteen years old, appeared on the TV monitor. Olivia and Jeanine exchanged air kisses as Olivia exited the stage.

Nina White continued through Jeanine Tesori's robust textbook of music with a hilariously acted rendition of "Changing My Major," hitting every quirky nuance in the lyrics. Her personality shined throughout the show but was unmatched by her contagious smile. Fernell Hogan had the crowd earning participation points as they clapped and chanted along to his rendition of "Let It Sing." Fernell sang with ease and finesse that added an extra level to his performance. Michael Iskander finished out the dedication with "Who I'd Be" from Shrek The Musical. Olivia, Nina, and Fernell joined Michael to finish out the song and they all really brought it home.

In the second half of the show, former college classmates Olivia and Nina sang a duet they performed together in school of "Ready to be Loved." As Olivia began the song, she suddenly forgot some of the lyrics and Nina kindly jumped in to help her out. Then hilarity ensued when it got to Nina's part and she blanked on her own lyrics, giving Olivia a chance to return the favor and help her out. It is a special moment when you mess up and still have the audience on the edge of their seats, cheering and laughing. They, no doubt, earned a perfect score in college because, even with forgetting most of the lyrics, they pulled off passing marks in my grade book.

Nina introduced the guest performer roll call which included the understudies Skye Alyssa Friedman, Miguel Gil, and Alex Vinh. Miguel took the lead and dedicated the song to "one very specific person." As the song "Crush" played, photos of Victoria Clark appeared on the TV wrapped in hearts. The audience applauded as each took their turn singing their part and professing their love. Victoria Clark was blushing and visibly touched by the song.

Introducing their own personal headcanons for Kimberly Akimbo, the quartet sang a Dreamgirls medley that they would have, likely, sung in the show choir competition. To finish out the night, the group invited their understudies to the stage to sing "Time and Music." As the metaphorical school bell rang and the night came to a close, the audience was given an extra credit performance of "Wannabee" that had them all dancing and singing along.

The kids of Akimbo do not have any other upcoming show at 54 Below but you can catch them on Broadway in Kimberly Akimbo.

Find great shows to see on the 54 Below website HERE.

The AKIMBO AFTER SCHOOL band is

Anthony Genovesi on drums

Gían Pérez on guitar

Thomas Curley on bass

James Stryska musical directing from the piano.

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