What 'Kimberly Akimbo' Lacks in Tension, Plot and Pacing, it Makes up for in Heart, Cast and Characters

Carolee Carmello and Miguel Gil in the national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo.” Credit: Joan Marcus

The playbill for the national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo” features the back of a gray-haired woman, her arms outstretched and fingers spread wide, who looks toward a roller coaster. The track of the silhouetted thrill ride swoops with steep hills and valleys; a little figure depicted in one of the cars even has her hands thrown up with what we can assume is excitement.

Were the touring production of “Kimberly Akimbo” (currently stationed at Playhouse Square) characterized in terms of the roller coaster featured in its marketing materials, it would be a mostly flat, less-than-thrilling ride. While heartfelt, intimate and original, the show’s plot and music lack those peaks and valleys that make for a knockout theatrical experience.

It’s the `90s and Kimberly Levaco has just moved to suburban New Jersey with her family. This is the chance for a new start, and as a young woman on the verge of turning 16, she should have the world ahead of her. But Kimberly suffers from a rare, fatal genetic condition where she ages four times faster than normal, making the 16-year-old appear as if she’s in her 60s. Kim is forced to navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, including pursuing a budding romance and making new friends, as well as a problematic family–all while confronting her own rapidly approaching mortality.

“Kimberly Akimbo” first existed as a 2001 play by David Lindsay-Abaire. In 2022, the musical version of the show, with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Lindsay-Abaire, debuted on Broadway. The show received critical acclaim, winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. The 60-city North American national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo,” under the direction of Jessica Stone, launched in September of last year.

There is no question that “Kimberly Akimbo” is a solid piece of theater. It tackles a laundry list of themes such as self-discovery, acceptance, forgiveness, dreams deferred, unrequited love, coming-of-age and mortality. The music is as quirky as each of the nine characters. The story is unique and unapologetically heart-wrenching.

So why open this review describing “Kimberly Akimbo” as flat and less-than-thrilling? Well, despite having a heartwarming story, the plot and pacing of the musical are indeed flat.

Act I of the two-act, 145-minute show plays like a drawn-out establishing shot in which we meet the characters and learn how they normally live their lives. It isn’t until quite late in Act I that the main character makes a higher-stakes decision that promises to have a significant impact on the plot. And while Act II certainly picks up the pace, lending the show a whiff of excitement, the tension is fumbled when none of the characters face serious consequences for their actions.

Just as the plot and pacing are lackluster and a bit all over the place, so is the music. There are no epic, sweeping songs or earworms that you’ll be humming for a week after being at the theater. While these elements are not at all crucial for a successful musical, they do help with memorability. Instead, the music feels utilitarian and redundant. With the exception of “The Inevitable Turn” and “Before I Go” (which don’t occur until the middle and end of Act II), the musical numbers feel like they exist on flat planes; they never quite build up to anything impactful, but rather coast along.

Those who enjoy “Kimberly Akimbo” will certainly have the skilled cast and lovable characters to credit.

Playing the titular character is Carolee Carmello, a three-time Tony Award nominee. Despite being a more mature woman, Carmello adeptly adopts the mannerisms and awkwardness of a teenager, allowing her to convincingly portray the 16-year-old trapped in a body four times her age. She is, of course, aided by Sarah Laux’s teenage, 90s-era costuming.

Kimberly’s love interest, Seth, was played by understudy Marcus Phillips on the night of my attendance. Phillips was an absolute joy as the sweet, quirky and nerdy loner. The sincerity in his portrayal was palpable.

The other teens in the show are four members of the school’s show choir: Grace Capeless as Delia, Darron Hayes as Martin, Skye Alyssa Friedman as Teresa and Pierce Wheeler as Aaron. Their status as performers gives them an excuse to be the group that executes most of Danny Mefford’s choreography, and they do so well. They also provide vocal support and comedic relief thanks to their complicated love-quadrangle.

Another source of laughs is Emily Koch as Kim’s criminal aunt, Debra. Koch has a crystalline voice and magnetizing stage presence. She infuses the character with plenty of charisma, which is perfect for the scheming, comically blunt character.

Jim Hogan plays Buddy, Kim’s alcoholic father, and Laura Woyasz is Pattie, her pregnant, narcissistic mother. Hogan’s Buddy and Woyasz’s Pattie are lovable one moment and despicable the next, which lends their characters and their relationship with Kim depth and dynamism. Woyasz’s voice is especially beautiful and well worth recognition.

Suburban New Jersey is portrayed through David Zinn’s multipurpose set design that is often subtly lit by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. Through various set pieces being moved on and off stage and signage dropping in from the rafters, the set effectively depicts an ice skating rink, hospital room, school and the Levaco household.

For many of the touring shows that come through Playhouse Square, audiences are eager to give standing ovations–they’re practically out of their seats the moment curtain call begins. Yet, the majority of the “Kimberly Akimbo” audience didn’t find their feet until Carmello, the last of the cast to take her bows, came on stage. What “Kimberly Akimbo” lacks in tension, plot and pacing, it makes up for in heart, and for some, that might be just what they’re looking for in a night of theater. The rest of us might remain seated a bit longer than usual at curtain call.

“Kimberly Akimbo” runs through August 3 at Playhouse Square,1501 Euclid Avenue Cleveland. Visit playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000 for tickets, $35-135.

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This article appears in Cleveland SCENE 7/2/25.