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Broadway’s ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Launching 60-City National Tour In 2024

By Greg Evans

NY & Broadway Editor

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Kimberly Akimbo , the acclaimed David Lindsay-Abaire-Jeanine Tesori Broadway musical, will launch a 75-week, 60-city North American tour in September 2024, producers announced today.

The tour will begin at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, with casting, exact dates and additional cities to be announced.

The musical focuses on New Jersey teenager Kimberly, whose rare, rapid-aging medical condition has her looking like a 72-year-old woman and leaves her with a much-abbreviated expected life span. As unlikely as that description would suggest, Kimberly Akimbo is hysterically funny, and very moving.

The title character is played by an adult (Victoria Clark in the Off Broadway and Broadway stagings). The book is by Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play of the same name, and the music is by Tesori. Jessica Stone directed the New York productions, with choreography by Danny Mefford.

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Kimberly Akimbo

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"A DOSE OF PURE JOY."

Begins May 20, 2025: Get Season Tickets

WINNER BEST MUSICAL THE MOST TONY AWARD-WINNING SHOW OF THE SEASON

A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), KIMBERLY AKIMBO is the winner of 5 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL. It features Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire ( Shrek ), a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori ( Fun Home ), choreography by Danny Mefford ( Dear Evan Hansen ) and direction by Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone.

Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” ( The New Yorker ), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

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The Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO Photos by Joan Marcus

Everything you need to know about 'Kimberly Akimbo' on Broadway

What's an anagram for "hit musical"? Learn more about this heartfelt show about living life to the fullest.

Seize the day! Adolescent years are always a challenge, and that goes double, actually quadruple, for 16-year-old Kimberly in the hit musical Kimberly Akimbo . She suffers from an extremely rare disease that causes her to age more than four times faster than normal.

On top of having to face down mortality way too soon, Kim is dealing with a dad who drinks too much booze; a neurotic, pregnant mom who’s harboring a deep family secret; and a con-artist aunt. But Kimberly finds a friend in a nerdy fellow sophomore student who loves word games, especially anagrams, and has a unique way of looking at life – and at her.

This musical adaptation of the same-named David Lindsay-Abaire play, with music by Jeanine Tesori, premiered off Broadway in 2021 and has made the move to Broadway. Before you step back into the '90s with Kimberly and the gang, learn more about the show's cast, history, and production information.

What is Kimberly Akimbo about?

Life is short, and for a girl who’s growing older around 4.5 times faster than the normal rate, every day is a reminder of that hard reality.

Kimberly Akimbo takes place in 1999 in suburban New Jersey, where the title character is a 16-year-old high school student who looks like she’s 72 because of a rare condition that’s accelerated her aging. Kim wants to act like a regular teenager and for her parents to behave like responsible adults.

Good luck with that. Her father, Buddy, drinks to distraction, while her pregnant mother, Pattie, imagines she’s got every medical malady in the book. Her aunt Debra is a serial scammer who pulls Kim and her classmates into her schemes. Kim boldly decides to live every day like it’s her last.

Where is Kimberly Akimbo playing?

Kimberly Akimbo is at the Booth Theatre . The theatre is located at 222 W 45nd St. between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

The Booth Theatre opened in 1913 and was named for Edwin Booth, the notorious brother of John Wilkes Booth. The theatre most often houses plays. The most recent musical to run at the theatre was the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal , which opened in 2009; the improv hip-hop show freestyle love supreme also played there in 2021.

How long is Kimberly Akimbo ?

Kimberly Akimbo runs 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission. This is a typical Broadway musical length, though musicals can run anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. Intermissions are usually either 15 or 20 minutes long.

What days is Kimberly Akimbo playing?

Kimberly Akimbo plays eight performances a week at the Booth Theatre, with performances usually scheduled every day except Monday. For the complete performance schedule and show times, please visit the Kimberly Akimbo page .

When did Kimberly Akimbo premiere?

The Kimberly Akimbo musical had its world premiere off Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company in 2021, 20 years after the Kimberly Akimbo play premiered. Discover a full timeline of the show's history below.

• 2001: The Kimberly Akimbo play premieres at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California. Marylouise Burke played the title character, and Lindsay-Abaire won the Kesserling Prize and the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Writing.
• 2003: The play debuts off Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in February, also with Burke. She received two acting awards nominations, and Kimberly Akimbo received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best New Off-Broadway Play.
• 2008: Lindsay-Abaire and Tesori collaborate for the first time, on Shrek the Musical . That collaboration led to their reunion for Kimberly Akimbo ; it was Tesori's idea to turn one of Lindsay-Abaire's plays into a musical.
• 2021: The Kimberly Akimbo musical premieres at Atlantic Theater Company's Linda Gross Theater . The Off-Broadway production ran from November 2021 to January 2022, starring Victoria Clark as Kimberly.
• 2022: The Kimberly Akimbo musical premieres on Broadway in October with the full Off-Broadway cast.

Who wrote Kimberly Akimbo ?

The Kimberly Akimbo musical features a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, who adapted his 2001 play of the same name. Jeanine Tesori composed the music for the Kimberly Akimbo musical. The two previously took on the same creative roles on Shrek the Musical , which began performances on Broadway in 2008.

Lindsay-Abaire is an award-winning writer whose work includes plays and musicals and subject matters both serious and comic. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Rabbit Hole , a drama about a grief-stricken family that opened on Broadway in 2006. Good People , about a blue-collar single mother in South Boston, premiered on Broadway in 2011.

Tesori is a composer who won a 2015 Tony Award for the musical Fun Home , a family drama based on Alison Bechdel's memoir. Tesori’s other well-known musicals include Caroline, or Change , Violet , and Thoroughly Modern Millie .

Kimberly Akimbo characters

The Kimberly Akimbo characters include various people in 1999 New Jersey. They include teenagers who are high school students as well as members of her family. Below are the characters of the Kimberly Akimbo musical.

• Kimberly: An outcast 16-year-old grappling with an aging disease that makes her look like she’s in her 70s.
• Seth: A high school geek who's into anagrams and playing the tuba. He connects with Kim on a school science project and, eventually, they grow close on a more personal level.
• Buddy: Kim’s dad, whose drinking undermines his well-meaning efforts to do his best for his daughter.
• Pattie: Kim’s mom, a pregnant hypochondriac who tends to overlook her daughter.
• Debra: Kim’s aunt, a street-smart schemer who is always on the lookout for another illicit scheme and pawns to use to her advantage.
• Delia, Martin, Aaron, and Teresa: Kim’s fellow students, who get drawn into Debra’s moneymaking grift.

Who is in the cast of Kimberly Akimbo ?

The cast of the Broadway premiere of the Kimberly Akimbo musical includes the same actors who were in the Off-Broadway presentation.

They include Tony Award winner Victoria Clark as Kimberly, Justin Cooley as Seth, Steven Boyer as Buddy, Alli Mauzey as Pattie, and Bonnie Milligan as Debra. Olivia Elease Hardy, Fernell Hogan, Nina White, and Michael Iskander reprise their roles as Kim’s classmates.

Kimberly Akimbo songs

The songs in the Kimberly Akimbo musical are by David Lindsay-Abaire, who wrote the lyrics, and Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the music. Here are all the songs you’ll hear in Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway.

• “Skater Planet” — Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth, Kim)
• “Hello, Darling” — Pattie
• “Make a Wish” — Kim
• “Skater Planet” (Reprise) — Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Anagram” — Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Better” — Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Hello, Darling (Reprise)/“Father Time” — Pattie
• “Happy For Her” — Buddy
• “Anagram” (Reprise) — Kim
• “This Time” — Company
• “How to Wash a Check” — Debra, Kim, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Good Kid” — Seth
• “Hello, Baby” — Buddy
• “Skater Planet” (Reprise) — Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth
• “Our Disease” — Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “The Inevitable Turn” — Pattie, Buddy, Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Now” — Seth, Kimberly
• “How To Wash a Check” (Reprise) — Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
• “Before I Go” — Kimberly, Buddy, Pattie
• “Hello, Sister” — Kimberly, Seth
• “Great Adventure” — Company

What awards has Kimberly Akimbo won?

The Off-Broadway run of the Kimberly Akimbo musical was critically acclaimed and won Best Musical prizes and more at multiple awards ceremonies. Here are the major awards the Kimberly Akimbo musical and play have won.

• Drama Desk Awards: The musical won Outstanding Musical and was nominated for eight additional awards for performance, writing, direction, and design.
• Lucille Lortel Awards: Kimberly Akimbo won Outstanding Musical, and Clark and Milligan won Outstanding Leading and Featured Performer in a Musical awards, respectively.
• Outer Critics Circle Awards: In addition to Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, Kimberly Akimbo won Outstanding Actress in a Musical for Clark, Outstanding Director of a Musical for Jessica Stone, and Outstanding Book of a Musical for Lindsay-Abaire.
• New York Drama Critics Circle Awards: Kimberly Akimbo won Best Musical.
• Other: The Kimberly Akimbo play won Lindsay-Abaire the Kesserling Prize and the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Writing. The play's 2003 Off-Broadway debut earned an Outstanding New Off-Broadway play nomination at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Marylouise Burke earned Outstanding Actress in a Play nominations at the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards.

Major productions of Kimberly Akimbo

The Off-Broadway and Broadway stagings of Kimberly Akimbo are the major productions thus far, but the play has had additional major productions. Here are all the major productions of the Kimberly Akimbo play and musical.

• 2001 world premiere (play): South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California hosted the world premiere of the acclaimed Kimberly Akimbo play.
• 2003 Off-Broadway premiere (play): Burke, who starred in the 2001 premiere, reprises her role as Kimberly in the play's Off-Broadway debut at Manhattan Theatre Club. The cast also included John Gallagher, Jr. and Ana Gasteyer.
• 2021 Off-Broadway premiere (musical): The Kimberly Akimbo musical has its world premiere at Atlantic Theater Company, starring Tony winner Victoria Clark.
• 2022 Broadway premiere (musical): Clark and the entire Off-Broadway cast of the Kimberly Akimbo musical move with the production to Broadway, just under a year after its Off-Broadway debut.

Fun facts about Kimberly Akimbo

• David Lindsay-Abaire told Vogue he got the initial idea for Kimberly Akimbo after asking a friend how his newborn niece was doing. “He said, ‘Oh, she’s amazing—she’s like this little old woman trapped in a baby’s body,’” Lindsay-Abaire told the magazine. “I thought, wow, that’s a very theatrical idea.”
• Kimberly's last name isn't Akimbo; it's Levaco. The show's title comes from an anagram Seth creates of Kim's name, which is "cleverly akimbo."
• Lindsay-Abaire is also an avid anagram creator and solver in real life.
• The character of Seth was named Jeff in the Kimberly Akimbo play. The change factors into an anagram Kim creates in the musical.
• There is a scene in the Kimberly Akimbo musical where the actors ice skate on stage.
• Kimberly’s aging disorder is unnamed but is like progeria, an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder. It causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life. The average life expectancy for a child with progeria is about 13 years. Progeria affects about 1 in 20 million people around the world, according to reports.

How to get Kimberly Akimbo  tickets

Kimberly Akimbo is a coming of age story with a bittersweet twist. Audiences from 4 to 104 will be moved by Kim's story of finding one's people and making the most of life while one has it.

Photo credit: Kimberly Akimbo. (Photos by Joan Marcus)

Originally published on Nov 9, 2022 16:52

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KIMBERLY AKIMBO on Broadway- A Complete Guide

Get all the details you need about Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway.

Looking for all the latest info on one of Broadway's hottest shows? BroadwayWorld has the full scoop on everything that you need to know about Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. Check out all the details below!

Where is Kimberly Akimbo playing on Broadway?

Kimberly Akimbo is running on Broadway at at the Booth Theatre. It is located at 222 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. 

How do I get to Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway?

To get to the Booth Theatre, you can take the following subway lines: - A, C, E, N, Q, R, S, W, 1, 2, 3, 7 to Times Square-42nd Street - B, D, F, M to 42nd Street- Bryant Park.

Find out more about how to get to your Broadway show.

When did Kimberly Akimbo open on Broadway?

Kimberly Akimbo began previews on October 12, and officially opened on Broadway on November 12, 2022.

Is Kimberly Akimbo playing outside of New York City?

In April 2023, it was announced that the show will embark on a 60-city North American national tour. The tour is scheduled to launch in September 2024 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Further cities and tour casting are to be announced at a later date.[8]

What is Kimberly Akimbo based on? 

Kimberly Akimbo is based on Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 comedy of the same name.

What is Kimberly Akimbo about?

Kimberly Akimbo tells the story of Kimberly, a teenager with a rare genetic disorder that causes her to age at an accelerated rate. Despite her physical limitations, Kimberly navigates the challenges of adolescence and forms unexpected connections with the people around her. The play explores themes of family, identity, and the fleeting nature of time.

Who wrote Kimberly Akimbo? 

Kimberly Akimbo features music by Jeanine Tesori , and lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire .

How long is Kimberly Akimbo? 

Kimberly Akimbo runs approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission.

What days of the week does Kimberly Akimbo play on Broadway?

Check the current schedule of Broadway shows here.

Who are the characters in Kimberly Akimbo? 

The main characters in Kimberly Akimbo include: Kimberly Levaco, Seth Weetis, Buddy Levaco, Pattie Levaco, Aunt Debra, Delia McDaniels, Martin Doaty, Aaron Puckett, and Teresa Benton.

Who was in the original Broadway cast of Kimberly Akimbo? 

The opening night cast of Kimberly Akimbo included Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza, Gigi) as Kimberly, Justin Cooley (who is making his Broadway debut), Tony Award nominee Steven Boyer (Hand to God, Time and the Conways), Alli Mauzey (Cry Baby, Wicked), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Olivia Elease Hardy (Broadway debut), Fernell Hogan (The Prom, Mean Girls US Tour), Michael Iskander (Broadway debut), and Nina White (Broadway debut). 

Is the original Broadway cast still in Kimberly Akimbo? 

Yes! You can still catch the original cast members of Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. 

What songs are in Kimberly Akimbo? 

Musical numbers in Kimberly Akimbo include: 

"Skater Planet" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth, Kimberly "Hello, Darling" - Pattie "Make a Wish" - Kimberly "Skater Planet (reprise #1)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa  "Anagram" - Seth, Kimberly, Company "Better" - Debra, Kimberly, Company "Hello, Darling (reprise)/Father Time" - Pattie "Happy For Her" - Buddy "Anagram (reprise)" - Kimberly  "This Time" - Company "How to Wash a Check" - Debra, Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa "Good Kid" - Seth "Hello, Baby" - Buddy "Skater Planet (reprise #2)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth "Our Disease" - Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa "The Inevitable Turn" - Pattie, Buddy, Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa "Now" - Seth, Kimberly "How to Wash a Check (reprise)" - Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa "Before I Go" - Kimberly, Buddy, Pattie "Hello, Sister" - Kimberly, Seth † "Great Adventure" - Company

Does Kimberly Akimbo have a cast recording?

Yes! Kimberly Akimbo: Original Broadway Cast Recording hit #2 on Billboard's "Cast Album" chart when it was released in digital and streaming formats. The recording was produced by Jeanine Tesori , John Clancy , and David Stone , with Kurt Deutsch serving as executive producer. 

Did Kimberly Akimbo win any awards?

Kimberly Akimbo won five Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical ( David Lindsay-Abaire ), Best Original Score ( Jeanine Tesori & David Lindsay-Abaire ), Best Leading Actress in a Musical ( Victoria Clark ), Best Featured Actor in a Musical ( Justin Cooley ), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical ( Bonnie Milligan ). 

Can I bring my child to Kimberly Akimbo? 

Yes! Kimberly Akimbo is recommended for ages 10 and up.

Check out more Broadway age recomendations.

How do I get tickets to Kimberly Akimbo? 

You can get tickets to Kimberly Akimbo and every other Broadway show here.  

Does Kimberly Akimbo have a lottery?

The digital lottery for Kimberly Akimbo can be found at  rush.telecharge.com . Entries for digital lottery start at 12:00am, one day before the performance, and end the same day at 3:00pm. Winners are drawn at 9:00am and 3:00pm. Winners may buy up to two tickets at $40 each plus a $5 service fee.

There will also be a limited number of $40 in-person rush tickets available when the box office opens the day of the performance at the Booth Theater (222 West 45th Street). The Booth Theater Box Office is open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 10am and Sunday at 12pm.

View a full list of Broadway lottery and rush policies.

Need to know more? Check out all the latest news on Kimberly Akimbo here !

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‘Kimberly Akimbo’ to launch North American tour in 2024

The new Broadway musical "Kimberly Akimbo" will set off on a 75-week North American tour. The tour will launch at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in September 2024 and continue on to play more than 60 cities.

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The new Broadway musical “Kimberly Akimbo” will set off on a 75-week North American tour. The tour will launch at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in September 2024 and continue on to play more than 60 cities.

Additional dates and destinations, as well casting for the touring production will be announced.

The show features music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, who also wrote the musical’s book based on his play of the same name. The production is directed by Jessica Stone with choreography by Danny Mefford.

The story centers around Kim — a high school student who suffers from a condition that makes her look like a 72-year-old — as she navigates her illness, family, friendship troubles and possible felony charges.

“Kimberly Akimbo” began Broadway performances at the Booth Theatre on Oct. 12, 2022, ahead of an opening night on Nov. 10.

“Kimberly Akimbo” is produced on Broadway by David Stone, Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander, LaChanze, John Gore, Patrick Catullo and Aaron Glick.

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• Kimberly Akimbo Story

The winner of more Tony Awards than any other show this season! Kimberly Akimbo is the Tony Award-winning Best Musical about growing up and growing old — in no particular order. It features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award winner David Lindsay-Abaire ( Rabbit Hole ), music by two-time Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori ( Fun Home ), choreography by Danny Mefford ( Dear Evan Hansen ) and direction by award-winning director Jessica Stone. Kimberly (two-time Tony Award winner Victoria Clark) is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” ( The New Yorker ), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush…and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

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Kimberly Akimbo

November 5–December 1, 2024

2 hours, 25 minutes, including one intermission

Curran Theater | 445 Geary St. San Francisco, CA 94102

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The 2024–2025 Season includes seven incredible Broadway musicals at the Orpheum, Golden Gate, and Curran Theatres:   WICKED ,   KIMBERLY AKIMBO ,   SOME LIKE IT HOT ,   BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL ,   PARADE ,   A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL , and   & JULIET .

Members also get immediate first access to purchase tickets for the return of   HAMILTON at the Orpheum Theatre.

A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order),   KIMBERLY AKIMBO  is the winner of 5 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL.  It features Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire ( Shrek ), a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori ( Fun Home ), choreography by Danny Mefford ( Dear Evan Hansen ) and direction by Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone. Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” ( The New Yorker ), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

AGES & ADVISORIES: Recommended for ages 10+. No children under 5 allowed.

Visit the official website > WATCH: A preview of KIMBERLY AKIMBO >

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Critic’s Pick

Review: ‘Kimberly Akimbo,’ Both Great and Small, Seizes the Day

The season’s most moving new musical earns its place among the behemoths of Broadway.

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By Jesse Green

Broadway reliably churns out several tourist-bait extravaganzas a year, the kind that feature sequins, singalongs and profits. Smallish, thoughtful, more narrowcast new musicals — let’s call them nerdicals — are rarer: one per season, if we’re lucky. Some, like “Fun Home,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Band’s Visit,” win top Tony Awards; “A Strange Loop” even won the Pulitzer Prize . If they rarely last as long as, say, “Six” or “Moulin Rouge” seem likely to, these shows prove their immense value in the time they’ve got.

That may well be the fate of “Kimberly Akimbo,” the profoundly funny and heartbreaking new nerdical that opened on Thursday at the Booth Theater . In any case, it’s the plot. Born with a fatal aging disorder akin to progeria , Kimberly Levaco (Victoria Clark) is a 15-year-old girl whose body resembles that of a woman well into her 70s. Knowing she will not live much beyond 16, she wants to experience everything she imagines the world has to offer — road trips, a robot butler, puppy love — while she can. The value of her life cannot be measured by how long it lasts, any more than the show’s can by how long it runs.

Which is not to say she or it is a downer. Far from it: Though an underground river of sorrow gives “Kimberly Akimbo” its keenness, the surface is shiny comedy.

That was already the case in the play by David Lindsay-Abaire on which it is based , a play that begins, as the musical does, with a visual joke: a grown-looking woman, outside a skating rink, dressed like a teenager and nibbling a candy necklace. That’s upbeat Kimberly, as usual trying to make the best of life’s bad situation. And now, with the addition of songs (music by Jeanine Tesori; lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire) that turn the carpe diem dial to maximum, the director Jessica Stone has turned up the hilarity dial as well, to keep all that emotion in balance.

Clark is responsible for the carpe diem part, and it need hardly be said if you saw her Tony Award-winning performance in “The Light in the Piazza” in 2005 that her singing is phenomenally rich and specific.

But what has become even richer since “Kimberly Akimbo” premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company last year is her profound and uncritical immersion in youthfulness. Leaving the ironies to us, she refuses to condescend to the character. There is nothing in quotation marks about her teenage mannerisms, or embarrassing about seeing her, at 63, wear the spot-on embroidered jumpers and colorful hair clips Sarah Laux has costumed her in.

Even when she shares an awkward kiss with a classmate named Seth Weetis — played by the completely adorable 19-year-old Justin Cooley — humor is the top note, sweetness the body, pathos just an aftertaste. Her overprotective father needn’t worry about her getting pregnant, she reminds him, because she went through menopause four years ago.

All the jokes work that way. The extreme hypochondria of Kimberly’s mother (Alli Mauzey) allows for a can-you-top-this arc as she acquires additional ailments: funny until you clock that with both arms in casts, she can’t eat. (In a neat parent-child reversal, Kimberly must feed her.) Nor is her father (Steven Boyer) any more capable; when he finally gives her a present she actually wants — passes to Great Adventure — they’re expired. And in the basement, Aunt Debra (Bonnie Milligan), a grifter with big attitude and little conscience, is concocting a check-forging scheme.

To these five characters, all in the play, the musical adds four others, high school classmates of Kimberly and Seth who in the Atlantic production sometimes seemed to be borrowed from “Glee.” They are so desperate to finance their show choir costumes that they agree to be Debra’s accomplices.

I wasn’t convinced by them Off Broadway . Nor, though Stone’s work with the actors was exceptional, did the physical production (scenic design by David Zinn, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew) impress me much. If it still doesn’t, well, this is a nerdical, after all.

But among many smart adjustments made to the show for Broadway , the four schoolmates (Olivia Elease Hardy, Fernell Hogan, Michael Iskander, Nina White) have been incorporated more clearly and fully as a kind of Geek Chorus. Aside from providing B-story contrast, they underline a theme I hadn’t really noticed before: the gumption of outcasts. No matter how much life wants to sideline them, they insist on having the spotlight, and even the sequins.

That the musical in essence does the same for the rest of the characters is one of its most unusual qualities. Each is beautifully portrayed in songs that give the actors a chance to shine. Milligan has the most obvious showstoppers, one per act, in which she introduces her crew of goody-goodies — now including Kimberly and Seth — to the thrilling anarchy of selfishness.

“Good Kid” is in fact the name of one of Seth’s numbers, which Cooley, in a flawless Broadway debut, delivers with charm that does not obscure their ruminative, perseverative nature. (“The bookworm. The boy scout. The good son,” he sings. “What has it gotten me?”) In another, a duet with Kimberly, he cranks out possible anagrams of her name in real time. (“My Blacker Olive!”) Even the parents are given chances to redeem themselves in song.

I’ve written often about Tesori’s chameleonic brilliance, the way — in shows as distinctive as “Fun Home,” “Caroline, or Change” and “Shrek” — she seems to have at her disposal an infinite thesaurus of musical styles so that each setting is as expressive as possible. (The finale of “Kimberly Akimbo,” a ukulele tune inevitably called “Great Adventure,” is a killer, so jaunty you cry.) Yet watching the show again, I focused as much on Lindsay-Abaire’s lyrics, which retain the natural shape of expert dialogue — quirky, characterful and sometimes even leggy — without distorting the song forms or turning everything into operetta.

And of course I focused — you can’t help it — on Clark. So remote is she from the bellowing divadom of those tourist-bait extravaganzas that I’m tempted to call what she does not singing at all, but acting on pitch.

And what intelligent acting it is, drawing on everything she knows. Indeed, in her Kimberly I thought I sensed an inversion of her Margaret in “The Light in the Piazza,” a woman whose daughter, because of a physical condition, would never be much more than a child. How odd and enlightening that, now 17 years older, Clark is playing a version of that child herself.

Being a former good kid — and, like Seth, an aficionado of “the puzzleistic arts” — I began to see the character and the show in anagrammatic terms. (Possibly this one: sublime cast = best musical .) As the past and the present interpenetrate in Clark’s performance, you may feel, as I did, the themes of “Kimberly Akimbo” recombining to achieve an even sharper focus. It’s not about a disease at all, unless it’s the one we all have: We grow up too slowly and then suddenly too fast. We are gone (but let’s hope the show isn’t) before we know it.

Kimberly Akimbo At the Booth Theater, Manhattan; kimberlyakimbothemusical.com . Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes.

Jesse Green is the chief theater critic for The Times. His latest book is “Shy,” with and about the composer Mary Rodgers. He is also the author of a novel, “O Beautiful,” and a memoir, “The Velveteen Father.” More about Jesse Green

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Kimberly Akimbo

2023 tony winner for best musical.

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KIMBERLY AKIMBO  is available with a 2024 - 25 Season Package. Get your season package NOW!

About KIMBERLY AKIMBO

Winner of every BEST MUSICAL Award including the Tony Awards, New York Drama Critics Circle, the Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Awards, and the Outer Critics Circle Awards.

A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), KIMBERLY AKIMBO  is the winner of 5 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL. It features Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire ( Shrek ), a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori ( Fun Home ), choreography by Danny Mefford ( Dear Evan Hansen ) and direction by Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone.

Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this“howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” ( The New Yorker ), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush...and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

Photo Credits

PHOTO 1: The company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO , photo by Joan Marcus

PHOTO 2: (l to r): Nina White, Bonnie Milligan, Fernell Hogan, Michael Iskander, and Olivia Hardy in KIMBERLY AKIMBO , photo by Joan Marcus

PHOTO 3:  Tony Award winner Victoria Clark in the Original Broadway Company of KIMBERLY AKIMBO , photo by Joan Marcus.

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In the heart of Hollywood, on Hollywood Boulevard, right down the block from Vine Street, stands the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. It's a fitting location: The Pantages has become one of the greatest landmarks of Hollywood, signifying both the glorious past and adventuresome future of the world's entertainment capital.

The Hollywood Pantages has a history as grand and diverse as the stage and screen fare which audiences have flocked to enjoy there for half a century. These days it's one of Los Angeles' leading homes of legitimate theatre (the five highest-grossing weeks in L.A.'s theatrical history were all shows at the Pantages) and a favorite "location" for tv shows, movies and music videos. In the past, it has been a movie house, with live vaudeville acts between features as well as the site of many gala premieres and "spectaculars." For ten years the Hollywood Pantages Theatre was the home of the glittering Academy Awards Presentations.

While the use of the Hollywood Pantages Theatre may have changed over the years, the theatre does not appear all that different today. After several touch-ups over the years, the Hollywood Boulevard showplace was renovated at the turn of the 21st century to recapture its 1930 look and luxury. When the theatre reopened in September 2000, some 300 people had repainted nearly every inch of the theatre, restored its outer lobby and missing chandeliers, refurbished its walls and prepared it for the new century.

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