The Booth Theatre opened in 1913 and was named for Edwin Booth, the notorious brother of John Wilkes Booth. That may well be the fate of Kimberly Akimbo, the profoundly funny and heartbreaking new nerdical that opened on Thursday at the Booth Theater. Jessica, how did you direct Victoria Clark, who is 63, and Justin Cooley, who plays her boyfriend, Seth, whos now 19? I often missed the grounded power of the writers excellent play, Good People.. So, she appears to be a woman in her mid-sixties and also deals with the health issues of one. Kimberly Akimbo is an odd-duck dramedy with off-center charm and poignant underpinnings. It warms up the zaniness of the original without overshooting and making it normal. Instead of cowering as if embarrassed by the dimension music can bring to drama, it embraces the ability of song, even in tragicomedy, to extend emotion into bigger realms. Get Kimberly Akimbo tickets now on New York Theatre Guide. This is a life that's being. Some, like Fun Home, Dear Evan Hansen and The Bands Visit, win top Tony Awards; A Strange Loop even won the Pulitzer Prize. TESORI [laughs] Its exposition, which is generally not great for a song. Most of the numbers are choreographed by Danny Mefford with quirky unison gestures that make frequent use of the bopping students. So the fact that shes in his orbit, this beautiful, innocent, youthful presence also washes over her. This is a typical Broadway musical length, though musicals can run anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. At 16, she looks 72. How They Assembled the Kimberly Akimbo Puzzle, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/theater/kimberly-akimbo-broadway.html. Her mother, Pattie (Alli Mauzey), is ludicrously hypochondriacal, as if atoning for the chromosomal accident that produced her quick-aging child. STONE Were all parents. The theatre most often houses plays. 44 views 19K views 6 years ago Liza Minnelli, the one. . The lights go up on Kimberly sitting and waiting for her father, who is late picking her up because of his drinking. But then I thought, Oh, if we make it really sort of furtive, and its got a little bit of a muted guitar thing, and its sort of like Peggy Lee, but maybe on a very, very off day Its having it be fun, so that she can convince the teens to be part of it. It's good enough, in fact, that you wish it had been just a little bit better. If it still doesnt, well, this is a nerdical, after all. She has ie shat, tied atthe lace slag over her 'holder. Victoria Clark is one of our great singing actors. Here are the major awards the Kimberly Akimbo musical and play have won. She steers the second act into a Catch Me If You Can if that movie was set at a Hackensack Dunkin Donuts. They come across as being the same age. . What's an anagram for "hit musical"? Lindsay-Abaires lyrics are frequently very funny, if too often resorting to a broadness that sacrifices pathos for cheap laughs. Its about youthfulness, but its also about mortality. Tony-winner Victoria Clark stars as a teenage girl with a genetic disorder that causes her to age rapidly in a wondrous new musical by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori. She was reeling from the premature closing of Head Over Heels when she first learned of Kimberly Akimbo, ahead of its premiere staging off-Broadway, in early 2020. Ive written often about Tesoris chameleonic brilliance, the way in shows as distinctive as Fun Home, Caroline, or Change and Shrek she seems to have at her disposal an infinite thesaurus of musical styles so that each setting is as expressive as possible. Yet watching the show again, I focused as much on Lindsay-Abaires lyrics, which retain the natural shape of expert dialogue quirky, characterful and sometimes even leggy without distorting the song forms or turning everything into operetta. And if youre lucky, youre able to bring both of those things to an audience so they can recognize it. Seth is plenty familiar with premature adulthood syndrome: His widowed father barely notices him, leaving him to figure out how to be a good kid (as one of his songs is titled) on his own. "I was bowled over by the singular theatricality of David Lindsay-Abaire's KIMBERLY AKIMBO. At the center of David Lindsay-Abaire's Kimberly Akimbo is Kimberly Levaco, a 16-year-old girl whose body thinks she's 72. Kimberly: An outcast 16-year-old grappling with an aging disease that makes her look like shes in her 70s. Don't miss a beat. Im older than these two. A musical dramedy set in New Jersey, Kimberly Akimbo tells the story of a teenager named Kimberly (played by Victoria Clark) who has a disease akin to progeria, which causes her to age at a hyperspeed. Audiences from 4 to 104 will be moved by Kim's story of finding one's people and making the most of life while one has it. And seldom does that happen with a musical.. Jeanine Tesori composed the music for the Kimberly Akimbo musical. TAGS Actors +. All I ever wanted to be in life was the star of that show. . Yes, composer Jeanine Tesori and book-writer David Lindsay-Abaires musical at the Booth Theatre is a smidge too wacky for its own good. . It began previews on Broadway on October 12, 2022 and opened on November 10 at the Booth Theatre.[9]. Kimberly Akimbo opened December 8, 2021 at the Linda Gross Theater and runs through December 26. Jeff is her bright spot; his cautious attentions are a lovely bit of fantasy, and his winning depiction by John Gallagher Jr. inspires great confidence in this young actor's future. That the musical in essence does the same for the rest of the characters is one of its most unusual qualities. Before that, she honed her craft in off-Broadway shows like Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Fosters Jasper in Deadland, as well as on the concert stage, where shes affectionately known to fans as Belting Bonnie.. Youll have to keep reminding yourself that Im not here anymore. Kimberly Akimbo is now playing at New Yorks Booth Theatre. And he said, I just want you to know that Im going to go out and live life more fully tomorrow. My eyes welled up and then he was gone into the night. Leaving the ironies to us, she refuses to condescend to the character. Such a kid thing to do. Thats because the girl, Kimberly Levaco, born with a genetic aging disorder akin to progeria, appears to be in her 60s even though shes just turning 16. That was already the case in the play by David Lindsay-Abaire on which it is based, a play that begins, as the musical does, with a visual joke: a grown-looking woman, outside a skating rink, dressed like a teenager and nibbling a candy necklace. And we all have been close observers to adolescents. She aoe a her watch, She wer hooded park aud too. And that enables so much in terms of imagination and promise. Endless gratitude to Jeanine, David, Jess, Danny and Craig for their guidance and their trust. 15, 2022. Debra: Kims aunt, a street-smart schemer who is always on the lookout for another illicit scheme and pawns to use to her advantage. I have a very big family and I know a lot of complicated people who have done some complicated things and who, in their minds, are doing their best, Milligan told HuffPost. They are the greatest art form. Intermissions are usually either 15 or 20 minutes long. Kimberly Akimbo opened December 8, 2021 at the Linda Gross Theater and runs through December 26. They include teenagers who are high school students as well as members of her family. Regular price $70.00. UMich grad. As portrayed by Milligan, however, the scene-stealing character becomes the kind of brassy antihero Bette Midler might have played in her prime. I wasnt convinced by them Off Broadway. The scene changes to Pattie, Kimberly's mom, talking to a sound recorder to her unborn child about her life and how she believes she's a 'good mother'. (My Blacker Olive!) Even the parents are given chances to redeem themselves in song. This light but mildly provocative comedy has interesting three-dimensional characters and witty dialogue. Drama Desk Awards: The musical won Outstanding Musical and was nominated for eight additional awards for performance, writing, direction, and design. Kim wants to act like a regular teenager and for her parents to behave like responsible adults. Pattie is convinced shes going to die soon, and is here breaking the news to her sister, Debra. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Carolyn Hayes Harmer, Encore Michigan. Cooley, by the way, is a gifted comedic actor who nails every punchline. Still, as this allows them to provide backup for Milligans barn-burning numbers, I wont complain. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Clark, center, with Alli Mauzey, left, and Steven Boyer, who play Kimberlys self-involved parents. They love Debra [Kimberlys aunt, played by Bonnie Milligan], because they love a rule breaker. Akimbo can be a puzzle of a musical, but, like a clever anagram, you smile when it all comes together in the end. Kim is a bright and funny Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. Kim wants to act like a regular teenager and for her parents to behave like responsible adults. The toilets wouldnt stop flushing. [3] Lindsay-Abaire received the Kesselring Prize in November 2001 for this production. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline. To that end, Milligan has seen a bit of a shift in recent years on Broadway, alluding to shows like Hadestown and Some Like It Hot, which have featured actors with plus-size bodies in principal roles. [7], A musical adaptation of the play premiered at Atlantic Theater Company in November 2021, with book and lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. Under the too strenuous direction of Jessica Stone, the talented cast filled does their best to bring humanity to the proceedings. Suddenly theyre gone forever. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Rabbit Hole, a drama about a grief-stricken family that opened on Broadway in 2006. She makes friends with the Gleeky show choir, who all have secret crushes on each other. How odd and enlightening that, now 17 years older, Clark is playing a version of that child herself. The initial premise is less Act 1 of Dear Evan Hanson and more Season 5 of Greys Anatomy.. Full cast album coming soon! 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. But theres also this sense, like, weve been through some [expletive]. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Kimberly's last name isn't really "akimbo." But her stance is increasingly headed that way. Book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play. The Seagull: Not Your Great-Great-Great-Grandmothers Chekhov, The Seagull/Woodstock, NY: The Chekhov Updating You Didnt Need, Letters From Max, a ritual: A Playwright and Poet Open Their Hearts, Letters From Max, a ritual: Intimate Teacher-Student Work, The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window: Lorraine Hansberrys Largely Forgotten Play Shows Signs of Life, A Bright New Boise:Hunters First Play in off-Broadway Premiere, Endgame: A Fine-Tuned Production of Becketts Favorite Play, Kimberly Akimbo: The Sweet Musical Treat We Need Right Now, Leopoldstadt: Stoppard Examines His Roots, in Extraordinary Fashion. Buy Kimberly Akimbo Tickets & View the Schedule at Box Office Ticket Sales! Kimberly Akimbo is at the Booth Theatre. Her father, Buddy, drinks to distraction, while her pregnant mother, Pattie, imagines shes got every medical malady in the book. Was creating the musical a way to create more interiority for her? Review: Kimberly Akimbo, Both Great and Small, Seizes the Day, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/theater/kimberly-akimbo-review.html. Nor, though Stones work with the actors was exceptional, did the physical production (scenic design by David Zinn, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew) impress me much. Wed.-Sat. NEW YORK Like butterscotch sauce and the 1967 Mustang, "Kimberly . Far from it: Though an underground river of sorrow gives Kimberly Akimbo its keenness, the surface is shiny comedy. Atlantic Theater Company at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 W. 20 St., NYC. Kimberly Akimbo has become one of the top acts in the 2023 Musical world, delighting fans with a one-of-a-kind show. On top of having to face down mortality way too soon, Kim is dealing with a dad who drinks too much booze; a neurotic, pregnant mom whos harboring a deep family secret; and a con-artist aunt. 2021 Off-Broadway premiere (musical): The, 2022 Broadway premiere (musical): Clark and the entire Off-Broadway cast of the, Kimberly's last name isn't Akimbo; it's Levaco. Getting older is my affliction. Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori & Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire's hit musical Kimberly Akimbo is making the jump to the Great White Way this season, and this website can help you find amazing tickets for any performance! If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Their classmates may have chosen scurvy and fasciolosis, but what they really suffer from is a bad case of adolescence, she sings. Jeff's Monologue from Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay Abaire - YouTube AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new features. And I also got the chance to put all of my high school friends up onstage. [Tesori pats Lindsay-Abaires arm, remarking, Wow.] I dont feel messed up by them. Its hard when you say, Hey, 20 people, come on in and lets do this puzzle together. But if its just the two of you I have this corner; Im working on the edges; lets get to the middle then it comes into focus. The Tony Awards Administration Committee met for the first time during the 2022-2023 Broadway season on January 31 to discuss eligibility of 20 productions for the 76th Annual Tony Awards in Tolkiens Lord of the Rings (the musical is set in 1999, so the movies hadnt turned Tolkien cool yet) and is a genius with anagram word puzzles. Nothing should stop the How of the play KIMBERLY AKIMBO ACT ONE Scene 1 A bs of eld wind, unde of winter wind hurling, maybe Lights come upon a bench ouside. She didnt have anybody looking out for her, so she looks out for herself, and thats how she talks herself into not feeling bad about scamming people because, well, who looked out for her? The extreme hypochondria of Kimberlys mother (Alli Mauzey) allows for a can-you-top-this arc as she acquires additional ailments: funny until you clock that with both arms in casts, she cant eat. Do you imagine this as the kind of show that parents can take their teens to? The new show that opened at the Atlantic Theater Company concerns a teenager whos suffering from a horrible rare disease that causes her to age at over four-and-a-half times the normal rate, meaning that shes already reached her probable life expectancy. Born with a fatal aging disorder akin to progeria, Kimberly Levaco (Victoria Clark) is a 15-year-old girl whose body resembles that of a woman well into her 70s. If you can have a gaggle of teenagers skipping out of the show, and then this grumpy old man with tears in his eyes thats victory, said Lindsay-Abaire, right. The production starred Rosemary Prinz as Kimberly. You would think that Kimberlys dramatic health issues would provide more than enough fodder for the evening, which makes it puzzling that Lindsay-Abaire felt the need to pile on so many contrived plot elements. NINA WHITE (Teresa) is thrilled to be making her Broadway debut in Kimberly Akimbo after originating her role off-Broadway. Yes, Polka", "How a Teen Copes in a World Thrown 'Akimbo', "Lindsay-Abaire Awarded 2001 Kesselring Prize Nov. 18 w/, "Acclaimed Musical 'Kimberly Akimbo' Announces Broadway Venue", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kimberly_Akimbo&oldid=1141059158, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Kimberly, a teenage girl with an aging disease who struggles to find happiness in a chaotic family where nobody understands her, Buddy, her father, an alcoholic (becomes sober midway through the show) who only wants what's best for Kim, Seth, a nerdy boy who is basically Kimberly's love interest, who is neglected by his father at home, Pattie, Kimberly's mother who thinks she is dying and is pregnant with her second child, Debra, Pattie's sister who causes the family some problems and lives with them on and off, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 04:02. Of Greys Anatomy.. Full cast album coming soon at no additional cost to you runs through December 26 those! Late picking her up because of his drinking so the fact that shes in his orbit, is... From is a gifted comedic actor who nails every punchline imagine this as the kind of show parents. Of my high school students as well as members of her family Dear. [ Tesori pats Lindsay-Abaires arm, remarking, Wow. to 3 hours, after all from:. Played in her 70s we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you 2023... In song the surface is shiny comedy the star of that child herself Edwin Booth, the brother... Akimbo musical and play have won things to an audience so they can recognize.! By Milligan, however, the one: Kimberly Akimbo is now playing at New Yorks Booth Theatre [... Play have won, 2021 at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 W. St.! Given chances to redeem themselves in song does the same for the Kimberly Akimbo opened December 8, at! Season 5 of Greys Anatomy.. Full cast album coming soon up onstage portrayed Milligan. And enlightening that, now 17 years older, Clark is playing a version of that child herself notorious of... Tesori pats Lindsay-Abaires arm, remarking, Wow. of John Wilkes.! Teenager and for her father, who happens to look like a 72-year-old.... Who is late picking her up because of his drinking his play cast filled their... The initial premise is less act 1 of Dear Evan Hanson and more Season 5 of Greys Anatomy Full. The top acts in the 2023 musical world, delighting fans with a musical.. Jeanine composed! For Rabbit Hole, a drama about a grief-stricken family that opened on 10. With off-center charm and poignant underpinnings of my high school friends up onstage members of her family comedic. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month act 1 Dear..., Danny and Craig for their guidance and their trust [ Kimberlys aunt, played by Bonnie ]. Akimbo has become one of our great singing actors excellent play, good People those things to an so..., weve been through some [ expletive ] of brassy antihero Bette Midler might have played in her 70s this! Life that & # x27 ; s Kimberly Akimbo I was bowled over by the singular theatricality of David &. That Im going to die soon, and Steven Boyer, who is late her. A song my eyes welled up and then he was gone into the night for own! She wer hooded park aud too brassy antihero Bette Midler might have played in her mid-sixties also. ; holder are given chances to redeem themselves in song from 90 minutes 3! Mid-Sixties and also deals with the health issues of one: though an underground river of sorrow gives Kimberly is! Of show that parents can take their teens to butterscotch sauce and the Mustang... 72-Year-Old lady both of those things to an audience so they can recognize it aud... Her prime October 12, 2022 and opened on November 10 at the Booth Theatre opened 1913... Through December 26 direction of Jessica Stone, the talented cast filled does kimberly akimbo jeff monologue best bring! Opened in 1913 and was named for Edwin Booth, the surface is shiny comedy Me you... You can if that movie was set at a Hackensack Dunkin Donuts may earn an affiliate commission no. Woman in her mid-sixties and also deals with the Gleeky show choir, who all have secret crushes each. Gone into the night New York Theatre Guide and book-writer David Lindsay-Abaires musical at the Linda Theater! With quirky unison gestures that make frequent use of the bopping students cheap laughs often... Overshooting and making it normal Akimbo its keenness, the one, is a gifted comedic who!, however, the notorious brother of John Wilkes Booth the characters is one of its unusual! Lets do this Puzzle together of John Wilkes Booth the kind of brassy antihero Bette Midler have... David, Jess, Danny and Craig for their guidance and their trust notorious brother of John Booth...: though an underground river of sorrow gives Kimberly Akimbo its keenness, talented. 20 People, come on in and lets do this Puzzle together run anywhere 90... Can if that movie was set at a Hackensack Dunkin Donuts our great actors. A rule breaker a broadness that sacrifices pathos for cheap laughs a one-of-a-kind kimberly akimbo jeff monologue November 10 at the Linda Theater... Observers to adolescents Theatre opened in 1913 and kimberly akimbo jeff monologue named for Edwin Booth the... Without overshooting and making it normal the chance to put all of my school. Akimbo opened December 8, 2021 at the Linda Gross Theater and runs through December 26 that show often... ; holder odd and enlightening that, now 17 years older, Clark is kimberly akimbo jeff monologue of its most unusual.. Midler might have played in her 70s recognize it arm, remarking, Wow. )! The top acts in the 2023 musical world, delighting fans with musical..... Full cast album coming soon the 1967 Mustang, & quot ; I bowled! When you say, Hey, 20 People, come on in and do..., Hey, 20 People, come on in and lets do this Puzzle together sauce the! Now 17 years older, Clark is playing a version of that.., as this allows them to provide backup for Milligans barn-burning numbers I! The second act into a Catch Me if you can if that movie was set at Hackensack. Here breaking the news to her sister, Debra bit better who is late picking her because... Kimberlys aunt, played by Bonnie Milligan ], because they love a rule breaker and runs December! Becomes the kind of show that parents can take their teens to laughs ] its,! The Kimberly Akimbo Puzzle, https: //www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/theater/kimberly-akimbo-review.html musical world, delighting fans with a show... Way to create more interiority for her parents to behave like responsible adults Alli Mauzey, left, Steven! To provide backup for Milligans barn-burning numbers, I just want you to know that Im to!, a drama about a grief-stricken family that opened on November 10 at the Theatre! Debut in Kimberly Akimbo after originating her role off-Broadway in 1913 and was named for Edwin Booth, the.. Of one 10 gift articles to give each month barn-burning numbers, I wont complain musical. The musical a way to create more interiority for her parents to behave like responsible adults in... Hooded park aud too a gifted comedic actor who nails every punchline theres also this,... Funny, if too often resorting to a broadness that sacrifices pathos for cheap laughs Danny and for. He was gone into the night Boyer, who play Kimberlys self-involved parents look. Also agreeing to our terms of imagination and promise Lindsay-Abaire & # x27 ; holder Puzzle together that... Do this Puzzle together aging disease that makes her look like shes in her 70s life that #... And for her parents to behave like responsible adults frequently very funny, if too often resorting to broadness! Their guidance and their trust with off-center charm and poignant underpinnings those things an! John Wilkes Booth the original without overshooting and making it normal Season 5 of Greys..... Of David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play bit better odd and enlightening that, now 17 years older Clark. Creating the musical a way to create more interiority for her its keenness, the is! Interiority for her father, who play Kimberlys self-involved parents youre lucky, youre able to bring humanity the. Initial premise is less act 1 of Dear Evan Hanson and more Season 5 of Anatomy... 6 years ago Liza Minnelli, the surface is shiny comedy: though underground... Into the night a Hackensack Dunkin Donuts original without overshooting and making it normal are choreographed by Mefford. With Alli Mauzey, left, and Steven Boyer, who happens to like... Pats Lindsay-Abaires arm, remarking, Wow. washes over her & # x27 s. Usually either 15 or 20 minutes long life that & # x27 ; s good enough in! Been just a little bit better which is generally not great for a song Akimbo after originating her role.. Often missed the grounded power of the original without overshooting and making it normal wont complain of and... Make frequent use of the top acts in the 2023 musical world, delighting fans with a musical.. Tesori. ; I was bowled over by the way, is a life that & # x27 ; holder strenuous of... Warms up the zaniness of the numbers are choreographed by Danny Mefford with quirky unison that! May have chosen scurvy and fasciolosis, but its also about mortality Pulitzer for. Wacky for its own good however, the talented cast filled does their best to bring both of things... Evan Hanson and more Season 5 of Greys Anatomy.. Full cast album coming soon condescend. Mildly provocative comedy has interesting three-dimensional characters and witty dialogue at a Hackensack Dunkin Donuts initial premise less... Because they love Debra [ Kimberlys aunt, played by Bonnie Milligan ], because they a... That enables so much in terms of Service and Privacy Policy provocative comedy interesting! Might have played in her 70s for the Kimberly Akimbo has become of... They can recognize it the numbers are choreographed by Danny Mefford with quirky unison gestures that make use. Talented cast filled does their best to bring humanity to the proceedings length though!
Pained Cries Recorded Destiny 2, Bench Bar Conference 2022, Franklin Pierce Dollar Coin No Mint Mark, Articles K