Comedy may be more difficult than drama, but balancing both in a 2½-hour musical? That’s harder to pull off than, say, a bank heist.
But “Kimberly Akimbo” manages it.
The musical — based on the 2001 play of the same name by David Lindsay-Abaire — premiered on Broadway in 2022 and earned five Tony Awards, including best musical. Lindsay-Abaire also provided the lyrics to music by Jeneaine Tesori. The Broadway production closed in 2024 after more than 600 performances.
Main character Kimberly Levaco was born with an incredibly rare genetic condition that causes her to age four to five times faster than normal. At age 16, she has reached the average life expectancy of a person with her disease. Kimberly feels isolated among her peers and struggles with strained relationships between her and her parents. But things change after she makes a friend at school, a boy named Seth Weetis. Throughout the emotional rollercoaster of the show, Kimberly finally asserts herself, has the hard conversations with her family and, yeah, maybe commits a little bit of crime.
With so much to do in such a short time, the show requires a powerhouse as a leading lady. And Carolee Carmello shines, mostly in her moments of vulnerability. There is one especially tearjerking second act scene where she’s making a class presentation about her illness.
But Carmello also manages to radiate an infectious joy in her time as Kimberly, bringing the laughs to the darkest parts of this black comedy.
Her parents are Buddy (Jim Hogan) and Pattie (Laura Woyasz), and both are highlights of the musical. Hogan often has the ungrateful task of playing the “bad guy,” an alcoholic father who always seems to say the wrong thing. But he does make the infuriating character endearing at times with his empathetic portrayal. And Woyasz, who plays the heavily pregnant Pattie, has impeccable physical comedic timing, but also sings perhaps the show’s most memorable song with the first act’s “Father Time.”
Then there’s the uproariously funny Emily Koch as Debra, Kimberly’s ne’er-do-well aunt who shows up midway through the show to wreak havoc and plot out a second-act scheme. Koch has a powerful voice with some powerful emotions behind it, but also evokes some of the most gut-busting laughs with her dry wit.
Kimberly’s four classmates — who are obsessed with show choir and in a painfully relatable high school love quadrangle, the show’s best running joke — are Delia (Grace Capeless), Martin (Darron Hayes), Teresa (Skye Alyssa Friedman) and Aaron (Pierce Wheeler). They’re so realistically high school theater kids, and their harmonies really are out of this world.
Last but certainly not least is Justin Cooley as Seth, Kimberly’s new friend who helps coax her out of her shell. Seth may seem too good to be true, but Cooley does a great job at playing the character’s layers, pulling out just enough quiet awkwardness and fast-talking eagerness.
One of the drawbacks to adapting a play into a musical is that the music itself can feel superfluous. While some of the musical numbers are funny and others evocative, there aren’t a lot of earworms in this show that you’ll be humming on your way out of the theater. They occasionally throw a wrench into the show’s pacing, as well. Songs such as “Better” and “Before I Go” stand out, but getting to spend more time seeing the characters interact through dialogue would be even better.
The production design for “Kimberly Akimbo” was also a highlight. Costume designer Sarah Laux and hair, wig and makeup designer J. Jared Janas made these kids — and parents — look like your average folks from New Jersey in a way that was immersive but not distracting. The sets were similarly lived-in but impressive, thanks to the scenic design of David Zinn — they were mobile, detailed and cleverly put together. Lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew and sound design by Kai Harada both had striking moments throughout the show, with the lighting often accentuating Kimberly’s more intense emotional moments. And video designer Lucy Mackinnon got plenty of smiles for a montage during the closing minutes of the show.
There’s no sugarcoating it, this one’s not easy (or meant for kids, for that matter). The characters certainly do go through it. But there are so many cacklingly funny and even beautiful moments in there too.
That’s kind of how life is, anyway.
And Kimberly’s going to live it while she can — right in front of your eyes.
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“Kimberly Akimbo” will run through March 9 at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. For tickets, visit trustarts.org.