Review Roundup: KIMBERLY AKIMBO National Tour

The national tour of Kimberly Akimbo, led by Carolee Carmello, is now underway! Read the reviews for the touring production of Kimberly Akimbo here!

Joining Carmello in the production is Miguel Gil, Jim Hogan, Emily Koch, Dana Steingold, Grace Capeless, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Darron Hayes, and Pierce Wheeler. 

Sarah Lynn Marion, Regene Seven Odon, Marcus Phillips, Bailey Ryon and Brandon Springman are the understudies, with Valerie Wright as Kimberly's standby. 

Kimberly Akimbo, winner of five 2023 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL, was the most critically-acclaimed musical of its season.

Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this new musical, Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush…and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

Kimberly Akimbo will launch a National Tour at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on September 22.  Prior to the premiere, the musical will run technical rehearsals and preview at The Stanley Theatre in Utica. The 80-week tour will play more than 60 cities across North America.

Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post: Carmello takes on the beautifully daunting and tricky work of being 16 going on 70. It’s an illusion that one buys into or doesn’t quite. I didn’t when I saw a very good understudy do the role on Broadway (and still loved the show). I did here.

Alex Miller, On Stage Colorado: At the center of the story, Kimberly is a decent person with a heavy burden she’s reluctant to share with her new friends. Carmello is tremendous in the role, juggling the mind of a teen with the body of an octogenarian and landing just right in the middle. As her newfound friend, Seth, Gil creates a character so sweet and pure that we completely believe how he’s able to draw Kimberly out and allow her to share her pain.

Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune: 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.

ErinMarie Reiter, BroadwayWorld: Carolee Carmello leads the show as Kimberly, a girl who not only looks older based on her disease but also has to act as the main grown-up in her family since her dysfunctional parents seem to live in a stunted existence. Dad is an alcoholic, and Mom is a narcissist. Carmello's voice and performance are undeniably strong (she’s a three-time Tony nominee for a reason), and she so thoroughly captures the enthusiasm for the life of a young girl that it is genuinely shocking when she comes out in the second act in an all-to-convincing disguise.

Andrew Child, BroadwayWorld: 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.

Talia Sajor, Daily Bruin: Against the writing shortcomings of “Kimberly Levaco,” the music holds a strong chance of redeeming it, but ultimately does nothing to leave a mark on viewers. Similarly to “Before I Go,” numbers such as “Good Kid” miss the emotional nerve, while others like “Better” are comically entertaining yet do not implant an earworm once the curtains close. Every lyric and musical composition feels generic and provides nothing remarkable or new to make it stand out from other contemporary musical soundtracks.

Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times: The lesson of ‘Kimberly Akimbo,” as expressed in the final number “Great Adventure,” is that we’re all “sailing to a distant shore,” so “just enjoy the view, because no one gets a second time around.” Sometimes, however, second chances do come about. Although I admired the heralded Broadway production, I found myself more open to the quirky charms of “Kimberly Akimbo” at the Hollywood Pantages.

Jay Barmann, SFist: The Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2023, Kimberly Akimbo, is already on tour. And in an opening night performance at San Francisco's Curran Theater on Thursday, star Carolee Carmello brought down the house in the hard-to-pull-off lead role.

Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle: But within that humble frame, David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori’s Tony Award-winning musical illuminates the ultimate human mysteries. It places the devastations and delights of being alive side by side and doesn’t force one to cancel out the other. Moreover, though Kimberly (Carolee Carmello) is sick, with a disease that ages her four times as fast as everyone else, meaning her 16-year-old self can pass for a 60-ish grandma, the show doesn’t force her to be angelic and subdued or punish her for not being that way. Instead it simply thirsts for life — and in so doing seems to expand your own.

Linda Hodges, BroadwayWorld: Though Kimberly Akimbo is brought to life by a cast of just nine performers, the musical has the heart, gumption, and power of a grand production. At first glance, one might wonder how such a compact ensemble can have the sweeping impact of a Broadway show. But the magic lies in the intimacy of the storytelling—each actor, with incredible depth and authenticity, contributes to a performance that is as expansive as any large-scale production.

Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle: But within that humble frame, David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori’s Tony Award-winning musical illuminates the ultimate human mysteries. It places the devastations and delights of being alive side by side and doesn’t force one to cancel out the other.

Tim Shawver, BroadwayWorld: 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.

Tyler Hinton, BroadwayWorld: Carolee Carmello as Kimberly is absolutely brilliant. She encapsulates teenage angst and complex feelings of abandonment and grief, along with the savoring of simple joys. And her signature sound comes through in her glorious singing even while completely immersing herself in the role.

Average Rating: 83.1%