‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Theater Review: A Thoroughly Original Musical Makes It To Broadway

In a Broadway world full of old revival musicals and movie remakes, Kimberly Akimbo stands out as a thoroughly original work that reminds you of the possibilities of theater.

At 63, heroine Kimberly Lavaca (Victoria Clark) looks 16 due to the effects of the disease progeria, which causes sufferers to age in reverse. She wants to live all of life’s pleasures before it’s too late – the average life expectancy with the disease is 16. The play, written by Jacob Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Jessica Stone, offers plenty of mordant humor – when she kisses nerdy, anagram-loving Seth Weitis (Justin Cooley) she tells her parents not to worry because she can’t get pregnant because she just went through menopause. Big laughs are earned by Aunt Debra (Bonnie Mulligan), a criminal who leads Kimberly and her high school friends on a mad grift, while the score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) adds plenty of pep to the production. Kimberly Akimbo is the little musical with a big payoff.

Kimberly Akimbo is now playing at the Boothe Theatre on Broadway. Get tickets here.