Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Gammage Auditorium

KIMBERLY AKIMBO, the 2023 Tony Winner for Best Musical now visiting Gammage Auditorium, manages something remarkable - it finds the bittersweet spot between life's joys and sorrows, letting both exist without cancelling each other out. In an era where musicals often rely on spectacle and flash to make their mark, KIMBERLY AKIMBO succeeds through pure storytelling muscle and emotional authenticity. 

In 1999 suburban New Jersey, teenager Kimberly Levaco navigates high school while dealing with a genetic condition that ages her body at four times the normal rate. Her home life is a masterclass in family dysfunction. Her mother, delightfully unhinged as played by Dana Steingold, endures cascading medical ailments while anxiously awaiting the birth of a second child. Jim Hogan brings both humor and heartbreak to her father, whose drinking habit consistently wins the race against his best intentions. 

Kimberly grows a connection with Seth, a social outlier whose fascination with word puzzles mirrors his ability to see past surface appearances. Their shared understanding of mortality - his through losing his mother, hers through accelerated time - creates an unexpected but entirely believable bond. Death is not an abstract concept to this pair.

Just when the story risks becoming too heavy, enter Aunt Debra with a check fraud scheme that somehow entangles four of Kimberly’s classmates. This “geek chorus”, if you will, is desperate for show choir costume funding. Their commentary could feel like narrative whiplash; instead it perfectly captures how life rarely sticks to a single genre.

Broadway veteran Carolee Carmello tackles the challenging title role with remarkable skill. Her physical performance captures teenage restlessness trapped in a body that won't cooperate, while her emotional journey avoids every potential pitfall of sentimentality. It’s a star turn in a role that requires nothing less.

Miguel Gil's Seth provides a perfect scene partner for Carmello's Kimberly. Their scenes are the show’s finest due in large part to the pair’s ability to do what we don’t always see in the National Tours that come our way - performances that appear newly minted.

For Aunt Debra, a role of ceaseless, escalating depravity, I’m looking for the comic spontaneity of Alex Brightman as Beetlejuice. Koch’s timing felt rehearsed, made most evident by her not holding for laughs at her own jokes. More than several of her lines were lost in what is already a challenging venue to hear dialogue. Holding for laughs is the greatest advantage live comedy holds over movies and TV and without it a role like this is not reaching its full potential.

Jeanine Tesori's score demonstrates her seemingly infinite capacity to find the perfect musical vocabulary for any story. From FUN HOME to CAROLINE, OR CHANGE to SHREK, she never fails to match setting with sound. She’s as adaptable a composer as Broadway’s seen. You don’t immediately recognize her style like you do Sondheim, yet she’s almost as complex. David Lindsay-Abaire's book (adapted from his own play) takes what could be an after-school special premise and spins it into something both funnier and more profound than you'd expect. Together they create moments that skate between comedy and poignance with remarkable grace.

KIMBERLY AKIMBO is charmingly quirky and walks us through some reflective emotional insights. With standout performances, a well-conceived and well-adapted story, and Ms. Tesori’s always masterful music, it is a delightful, robust experience. See KIMBERLY AKIMBO in Tempe through December 8th.

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