{"id":368584,"date":"2025-05-23T15:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T19:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=368584"},"modified":"2025-05-23T15:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T19:15:12","slug":"quirky-hit-kimberly-akimbo-at-the-national-is-hilarious-and-heartbreaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/05\/23\/quirky-hit-kimberly-akimbo-at-the-national-is-hilarious-and-heartbreaking\/","title":{"rendered":"Quirky hit ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ at the National is hilarious and heartbreaking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kimberly Akimbo<\/em> dazzled Broadway in 2022, winning five Tonys the following year, including Best Musical. Now, the national tour of the quirky hit by David Lindsay-Abaire (book, lyrics, and original play) and Jeanine Tesori (music) has landed at the National Theatre, giving the Washington area\u2019s musical fans a hilarious, heartbreaking confection to enjoy.<\/p>\n

The play opens at a New Jersey skating rink in 1999. In a deft first number, \u201cSkater Planet,\u201d we meet a quartet of teens who gleefully admit, \u201cWe’re too weird in every way.\u201d On the edge of puberty, they\u2019re blooming with all the comical longings and uncertainties that affect youngsters racing toward adulthood. A fifth teen, however, has a special challenge.<\/p>\n

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Carolee Carmello (Kimberly) and Miguel Gil (Seth) in the National Tour of \u2018Kimberly Akimbo.\u2019 Photo by Joan Marcus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fifteen-year-old Kimberly Levaco (an endearing Carolee Carmello) sits pensively chewing on a candy necklace. A newcomer in town, she\u2019s oddly different. Kim is afflicted with a rare genetic condition that ages her over four times faster than normal. Few with her condition live past the age of 16.<\/p>\n

Kim is largely ignored by the skaters, but the desk attendant, also a high school classmate, takes a special interest in her. Seth Weetis, played with delightful goofiness by Miguel Gil, is a neglected kid with a big, unconventional brain. In \u201cAnagram,\u201d he shows his talent in recombining the letters of one word to form another. Kim instantly connects to him, singing, \u201cI like the way you see the world \u2026 a little odd, a little off, a bit unorthodox.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seth becomes a welcome respite from Kim\u2019s dysfunctional home life. Her dad, Buddy (Jim Hogan), is a stumbling alcoholic saddled with unrealized dreams. Laura Woyasz as Kim\u2019s hypochondriac mom, Pattie, pays intermittent attention to her daughter. Yet she lives with a mother\u2019s worst fears. Pregnant with what\u2019s clearly meant as a replacement of the rapidly aging Kim, she envisions a premature death for herself as well as her elder daughter. Pattie\u2019s funny and touching \u201cHello, Darling,\u201d sung into a video camera, is an effort to provide a legacy for her unborn child.<\/p>\n

Into the mix bounds Mom\u2019s sister, Aunt Debra (Emily Koch), a scene-stealing grifter and ex-con whom the Levacos hoped they\u2019d ditched. The unrepentant Debra has hatched a new scheme to reap riches. Steal a mailbox, extract checks, wash, and repeat. This time, she enlists Kim and her friends to do the dirty work. \u201cHow to Wash a Check,\u201d sung uproariously by Debra and her new allies, spells it out.<\/p>\n

Small in scale, Kimberly Akimbo<\/em> (directed by Jessica Stone) tackles some of life\u2019s biggest questions. Each of the characters yearns for a better life, but how and at what cost? \u00a0Seth\u2019s plaintive \u201cGood Kid\u201d challenges the notion that morality pays off. The quartet of teens, eager to finance new costumes for an upcoming school show, is poised to follow Debra\u2019s risky scam. The Levacos awkwardly strive to accept Kim\u2019s fate and begin again with a \u201cnormal\u201d baby, whose genetic makeup, as it turns out, is also involved in a crime.<\/p>\n

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TOP: Laura Woyasz (Pattie), Emily Koch (Debra), Carolee Carmello (Kimberly), and Jim Hogan (Buddy); ABOVE: The Company, in the National Tour of \u2018Kimberly Akimbo.\u2019 Photos by Joan Marcus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kim simply longs for a normal family life. When the Levacos\u2019 comical attempt to stage a single civil meal spins wildly out of control, Kim and Seth, wise beyond their years, find their own way in the short time she has left. Their duet, \u201cGreat Adventure,\u201d speaks to the need to live in the present because \u201cno one gets a second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

A uniformly excellent cast whips Scenic Designer David Zinn\u2019s clever sets from scene to scene, adding to the frothy pace of the production. Sarah Laux\u2019s spot-on costumes aptly recall the 1990s, and Lucy Mackinnon\u2019s video design transports us along Seth and Kim\u2019s exhilarating escape route.<\/p>\n

While you might not exit the theater humming an unforgettable tune, Tesori\u2019s music and Lindsay-Abaire\u2019s lyrics etch the eccentric characters beautifully and propel the unconventional plot forward at a zesty pace. Kim\u2019s imminent mortality is turned on its head, revealing life-affirming possibilities. Big issues are treated with a lyrical touch.<\/p>\n

When Seth adroitly transforms \u201cKimberly Levaco\u201d into \u201cCleverly Akimbo,\u201d he speaks not only for Kim but for the entire production. Clever it is, but the musical’s oddball quality personifies the meaning of akimbo:<\/em> skewed, off-center, at angles, and in this case, lovably unique.<\/p>\n

Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.<\/p>\n

The national tour<\/a> of Kimberly Akimbo <\/strong><\/em><\/a>plays through June 1, 2025, at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington. Tickets (starting at $55) are available online,<\/strong><\/a> at the box office<\/a>, or by calling (202) 628-6161.<\/p>\n

The cast and creative credits for the touring production are here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter the Digital Lottery for a chance to purchase $29 tickets to Broadway at The National shows. Learn more here.<\/a><\/p>\n

COVID Safety:\u00a0<\/b>Masks are strongly recommended but not required for all ticket holders.\u00a0For full COVID protocol, go\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n