Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO—Segerstrom Center for the Arts
- TheShowReport
- Jan 22
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 24
Mortality is in every beat of this show, as Carolee Carmello pulls off the crowning performance of her career in the protagonist role: “I know I might be dying”—aren’t we all?—"but I’m not dead.”
Segerstrom Center for the Arts Presents, The Costa Mesa Premiere of The North American Tour of five-time Tony Award-Winning Best Musical, KIMBERLY AKIMBO, a story about growing up and growing old, in no particular order. Now playing January 21st - February 2nd, 2025.
With Book & Lyrics by Tony and Pulitzer Prize-Winner DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE and Music by Tony Award-Winner JEANINE TESORI, Choreography by DANNY MEFFORD (DEAR EVAN HANSEN), and Direction by Tony Award nominee JESSICA STONE (Broadway: KIMBERLY AKIMBO; WATER FOR ELEPHANTS), this national touring production stars three-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello (FALSETTOS; PARADE; JOHN AND JEN) in the title role as Kimberly.
Joining Carolee on stage are Miguel Gil (Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO) as Seth; Jim Hogan (Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO) as Buddy; Emily Koch (WICKED; WAITRESS) as Debra; Dana Steingold (BEETLEJUICE, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNUM COUNTY SPELLING BEE) in a partner-cast role as Pattie, Jan 21-26, (followed by Laura Woyasz Jan 28-Feb 2); Grace Capeless (DISNEY’S THE LION KING) as Delia; Skye Alyssa Friedman (Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO) as Teresa; Darron Hayes (Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO) as Martin; and Pierce Wheeler (DEAR EVAN HANSEN National Tour) as Aaron.
Understudies are: Sarah Lynn Marion for Pattie/Debra; Regene Seven Odon & Marcus Phillips for Seth/Aaron/Martin; Bailey Ryon for Delia/Teresa; and Brandon Springman for Buddy. Valerie Wright is the Kimberly standby. Dance Captain is Bailey Ryon.
Ms. Tesori’s chameleonic brilliance shows as distinctive here as her FUN HOME, CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, AND SHREK — she seems to have at her disposal an infinite thesaurus of musical styles so that each setting is as expressive as possible. The finale, for example, a ukulele tune inevitably called “Great Adventure,” is a killer, so jaunty you almost feel guilty for feeling so ebullient. That’s also the methodology of Lindsay-Abaire’s lyrics, retaining the natural shape of expert dialogue — quirky, characterful and sometimes even leggy — without distorting the song forms or turning everything into operetta (“Anagram,” “Skater Planet,” “Our Disease,” “Before I Go”).
The trials of being a teenager can feel like matters of life and death, but Kimberly Levaco is actually running out of time — and her feelings about it have nothing to do with hormones. A genetic disorder that accelerates her aging process means she’s going on 16, but with the body of someone well into her 70’s. Despite Kimberly’s imminent end, or perhaps because of it, there is a self-consciously jovial and youthful tone to the material. Yes, it does tackle mortality and dying head-on, but, at the same time, it is also unabashedly heartfelt and irresistibly funny. Actually, it's a bit like an amusement park ride: half the fun is knowing your heart is about to get drop-kicked.
The title character proves a magnificent showcase for a knockout turn from Carolee Carmello. But how do you play a kid as an adult without coming off as false, affected or, even worse — cutesy? The answer is evident in everything from how Ms. Carmello seems to wade inside her denim jeans to the way she makes her features appear unsettled and still on the brink of maturity. Her classically honeyed voice is modulated here, to fit the artless grace of a girl whose biggest wish is for her family to get along and to feel wanted. It’s the kind of performance whose subtlety nearly masks its brilliance, but the feat that Ms. Carmello carries off is no less than astonishing.
Aside from Kimberly’s condition, the story is in many ways a familiar one. It’s 1999 in suburban New Jersey, and Mom (Dana Steingold for this performance) and Dad (Jim Hogan) are both narcissists, neglectful of Kimberly even as they care for her in their own messed up ways. Mom is pregnant again, and makes no secret that she hopes this one turns out differently (i.e., normal), while overprotective dad is an alcoholic full of false promises. Still, they are not easy villains, but flawed, well-intentioned (insensitive without being cruel) and mired in their own issues — in other words, parents.
A romantic plotline for Kimberly, who might otherwise die having never been kissed, is a tricky one to finesse given the optics of her age compared to her classmates. But easy-breezy Miguel Gil, who plays her lab partner, Seth, and a secret admirer, delivers another of the show’s breakout performances. A tuba player who also works at the local ice rink, he’s a connoisseur of anagrams, the verbal equivalent of finding unexpected ways to look at the world — a neat encapsulation of the show’s guiding principle.
The production has the sweet and earnest vibe of an especially well-executed school project, particularly when it comes to the quartet of drama nerds (school show-choir chums of Kimberly) who sometimes seem to have been borrowed from “Glee” (and whose symmetrically unrequited crushes seem a bit too pat: Martin wants Aaron, Aaron wants Delia, Delia wants Teresa, and Teresa wants Martin). Aside from providing B-story contrast, they underline another theme of the show: the pluckiness of being outcasts, lending a playful subplot veneer. Yet, no matter how much life wants to sideline them, they insist on having the spotlight, and especially the sequins.
As Kimberly’s criminal Aunt Debra, Emily Koch is the musical’s raging comedic force, commanding laughs with the authority and efficiency of a drill sergeant. Her every move and line reading has the audience in the palm of her hand, all the while playing Pied Piper to the musical’s young break-a-leggers in their desperation for cash to make flashy costumes. And wouldn’t you know, she has a perfect money-making scheme right up her sleeve.
But what leaves us ever spellbound is Carolee Carmello’s profound and uncritical immersion in youthfulness. Leaving the ironies to us, she refuses to condescend to the character. There is nothing in quotation marks about her teenage mannerisms, or embarrassing about seeing her wear the spot-on jumpers and colorful hair clips Sarah Laux has costumed her in.
Even when she shares that awkward kiss with Seth — a completely delightful Mr. Gil in this scene — humor is the top note, sweetness the body, pathos just an aftertaste. Her overprotective father needn’t worry about her getting pregnant, she reminds him, because she went through menopause four years ago.
All the jokes seem to work that way. The extreme hypochondria of Ms. Steingold’s Pattie, Kimberly’s mother, allows for a can-you-top-this arc as she acquires additional ailments: funny until you clock that with both arms in casts, she can’t eat (in a neat parent-child reversal, Kimberly must feed her). Nor is Mr. Hogan’s Buddy, her father, any more capable; when he finally gives her the present she actually wants — passes to Great Adventure — they’re…expired. Meanwhile, in the basement, Ms. Koch’s Aunt Debra, that crazy grifter with the big attitude and very little conscience, is concocting a check-forging scheme to help her little band of budding outlaws.
With that in mind, Ms. Carmello’s performance draws on everything she knows as she looks death straight in the eye and brings an emotional and stirring honesty to her work. In fact, your eyes are riveted on her every move, as warmth and sincerity spread out over the audience. The Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning actress possesses a powerful voice with exquisite precision and an expansive belt range. Her complete transformation to a teenager is one of the greatest coups de théâtre ever executed by an actor, in my opinion, and deserves every accolade for this character.
KIMBERLY AKIMBO features scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Sarah Laux, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, sound design by Kai Harada, projection design by Lucy MacKinnon, and wig, hair, and make-up design by J. Jared Janas. The production's Music Supervisor is Chris Fenwick and the Music Director is Leigh Delano. KIMBERLY AKIMBO features orchestrations by Tony Award nominee John Clancy, with additional orchestrations by Macy Schmidt. The Production Supervisor is Arabella Powell, the Production Stage Manager is Shawn Pennington and casting is by The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA.
The North American Tour of KIMBERLY AKIMBO is produced by David Stone, The Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander, LaChanze, John Gore, Patrick Catullo, and Aaron Glick.
Tickets for Kimberly Akimbo start at $44.07 and are available for purchase online at scfta.org, in person at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling (714) 556-2787.
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
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