Funny, Flawed, and Deeply Resonant (Broadway in Louisville)
3 days ago
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Kimberly Akimbo
Books and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by Jessica Stone
Review by Loraine Lawson
Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Loraine Lawson. All rights reserved.
Kimberly Akimbo has a complicated life. Her alcoholic father is unpredictable, her mom is preoccupied with her pregnancy, her aunt is a criminal, and her crush is an awkward guy at a school where she doesn’t fit in.
Oh yes, she also has a rare genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly. Kimberly looks like she’s an old lady at the age of 16. It’s a lot for a teenager to handle, but somehow, she manages it all with optimism, resiliency and grace — despite the deeply flawed adults in her life.
The Broadway in Louisville presentation of the musical proved a polished production, filled with laughs and excellent musical harmonies, supported beautifully by the Louisville Orchestra. But there are serious overtones that give the play depth and a tad of darkness, most of which is quickly offset by humorous antics.
From the first song of the evening, the cast impresses with its harmonies. The quartet of Gabby Beredo as Delia, Darron Hayes as Martin, Skye Alyssa Friedman as Teresa, and Max Santopietro as Aaron shine as a group of star-crossed lovers and musical theater misfits at Kimberly's high school. They provide a great launch to the show with their vocals on "Skater Planet" and offer stellar backup throughout the show.
Ann Morrison stars as Kimberly Akimbo. Morrison has a long, impressive history on and off Broadway, including her portrayal of Mary Flynn in the original Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical, Merrily We Roll Along. She brings a quiet optimism to Kimberly, while also delivering a few well-placed and perfectly-delivered quips throughout the play.
The opening song also introduces Seth, Kimberly’s high school love interest. Seth is played by Marcus Phillips with humor and an endearing teenage awkwardness. He commanded quite a few laughs during the production.
But after this lighthearted introduction, we soon see the dysfunction in Kimberly’s family. Following the opening number, the audience finds Kimberly has waited over two hours outside the closed skating rink before her alcoholic father, Buddy, finally picks her up after a night at the bar. He offers excuses, none of which Kimberly buys.
Buddy is portrayed by Brandon Springman, who has one of the more humorous yet conflicted roles in the production. A perfect example of this is when he has to drive Kimberly and her friend/crush Seth to school. The song is funny, at first, as he careens the car from side to side, slinging both Kimberly and Seth across the car. But the overprotective father act takes a downturn when he cautions Seth not to take advantage of her, humiliating Kimberly along the way. The musical also gives him a few horrible, biting lines, just to remind us that he's not always the swell guy he presents, including telling a sick Kimberly that she looks like "Nana after she passed." He delivers competent vocals and adds tension to the story as Kimberly and the audience are unsure whether he can keep his promise to give up drinking.
Laura Woyasz is Kimberly’s pregnant mother, Pattie, who has had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands at once. She is largely preoccupied with her coming baby and her own image as a mother, as revealed by her solo piece, "Hello Darling." Woyasz, who has appeared on Broadway as Glinda in Wicked, sings beautifully.
The whole cast gives strong performances, but Emily Koch stands out as Debra, Kimberly’s aunt and a small-time crook. She brings strong vocals and humor to her portrayal of the aunt, whose scheme to commit check fraud drives the second half of the play. She commanded many laughs from the audience with "Better," a song about how sometimes you have to break rules to "make your life shitty life better."
Debra, we soon see, is often a victim of the system, although her bad choices create much of the dysfunction in her life. That said, the musical hints at a hard past when she’s told "You’re not in control of your body," to which she tellingly replies, "That’s the story of my life."
As for the star, Morrison’s voice has both breadth and depth. She adeptly sings the more fast-paced comedic pieces as well as the softer, slower songs. But her vocal abilities are truly showcased on "Before I Go," which mourns the girl she’ll never be.
"I was never the girl you intended…she’d hold your hand when you got old. Let’s admit the dream has ended and what you wished for wasn’t me. It was the ghost of a girl I’ll never be,” she sings to her parents.
And that’s the heart of the story—the struggle of creating an identity and the desperation of wanting others to accept us as we are. All the characters crave understanding, even as they struggle against their shadow selves. Yet still, they strive to be better, even when they just can’t get a break from society or their own vices.
It’s a fun performance, albeit with a few tearful and tense moments as Kimberly confronts her parents and failing health. Fortunately, she bounces back and is on her way to her happy right-now, even if her ever-after is grim.
Kimberly Akimbo
Broadway in Louisville
Wednesday Dec 2-Friday Dec 5 at 7 p.m.
Saturday Dec 6 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Dec 7 at 1 and 6 p.m.
Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center
501 West Main Street
Louisville KY 40202
