Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Hollywood Pantages Theatre

With its spunky rainbow banners featuring a joyful girl facing toward a rollercoaster, the national tour of Kimberly Akimbo announced itself as a cutesy, rose-colored package coming to wow families at the Pantages Theatre with its Pollyanna-esque messaging and forceful optimism. However, once the curtain opens to reveal a not-so-young-looking girl standing alone at a local ice rink, the show reveals itself to have much more going on. The show is vibrant and candy-colored, featuring an earnest cohort of character actors perfectly placed into their roles, but with a stirring score by Jeanine Tesori and witty book by David Lindsay-Abaire, the piece is an instant classic of contemporary musical theatre. The story centers around Kimberly, a sixteen year old girl living in a body that ages four or five times as quickly as the rest of us. Loaded with exciting twists and turns, the libretto never bogs us down with platitudes or force-feeds us palatable morals. Instead, we are tugged along through a feast of wackiness that manages to pack a heartwarming punch to the gut by the finale.

Even those familiar with the show will be delighted to see Carolee Carmello’s interpretation of the titular role. I was surprised to open the program and see her name listed, as I would be billing her above the title, but that’s just me. While committing to a distinctive pre-pubescent voice, Carmello is endlessly endearing. “Make a Wish”, in which Kimberly deliberates over a letter to the famous foundation, is particularly memorable, and locks the audience in early to root for the protagonist. Carmello carries the show with a performance that cannot be overhyped. As Debra, Kimberly’s conniving aunt, Emily Koch delivers laughs in quick succession. Set against the overt zaniness of the rest of the cast, Koch brings a laidback energy to her role— even when belting out her show stopping first number— that immediately sets Debra as an outsider in such a zealous crowd. Other standouts in the cast include Dana Steingold, whose Pattie is played with such a nasally voice I couldn’t imagine liking her performance, but had me grinning widely by the end of “Hello, Darling” (the second number in the show).

The show gets off to a rocky start. The opening number feels disconnected from the rest of the action, and it isn’t until the dialogue begins in the first scene that the audience begins to settle in and enjoy ourselves. That said, you would be hard pressed to name a more solid, feel-good piece of musical theatre from the last decade. Tesori has artfully mined the story for moments which call for heightened expression, and the effect is nearly operatic in its execution. When the ensemble begins skating during the first act finale, I felt my heart near bursting. Simple moments become meaningful and emotional, and by the end of the second act, it seemed everyone around me had laughed, cried, and was ready to tell the world, “Go see Kimberly Akimbo!”

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