– By Cate Marquis –
The Tony Award-winning “Kimberly Akimbo” is the Fabulous Fox’s must-see show of the season, a show with humor, heart and heartbreak, about a typical teen in New Jersey. Well, not so typical, because in addition to all the usual challenges of high school and adolescence, Kimberly suffers from a rare genetic disorder which causes her to age four times faster than normal. And then there is her family, who add their own unique challenges, even as she tries to fit into to a new school. And it’s all set in a time before kids had cell phones.
The show, and its cast, are wonderful. “Kimberly Akimbo” is a musical, in the sense that there are songs and a bit of dancing, but it is not the sequined extravaganza kind of musical. Songs and dances happen in a way that makes sense for the story, like a crew of friends preparing for a school talent competition, This story deals with real feelings, real life challenges and real human connections, a refreshing change from the usual musical. It would be wonderful if more of this type of show could come to the Fox.
Kimberly is the new girl and sensitive about her condition. But it’s not just Kimberly who is searching for a way to fit in. It is a tale about girl finding her way, along with others who don’t fit in during high school.
Kimberly is played by Tony-winner Carolee Carmelo, who gives a outstanding performance as a teenager stuck in a middle-aged body. Kimberly has just moved with her parents to a new New Jersey town, leaving their previous town in a hurry for some mysterious reason. We meet shy Kimberly at a skating rink, a hangout for the not-so-cool kids, the kind who like theater and performance more that sports and “mean girl” personal politics. Delia (a delightful, funny Grace Capeless) is the high-energy de facto leader of this small group of friends with dreams of winning the school’s talent contest. The rest of her crew are theatrical, expressive Martin (Darron Hayes), and quieter Teresa (Skye Alyssa Friedman) and Aaron (Pierce Wheeler). Working the counter, handing out smelly skates, is Seth (Miguel Gil), another socially marginalized kid with a knack for math and puzzles.
The promotional materials for the show tout it’s “New Jersey authenticity.” That seems to mean a sort of working class “Sopranos” without the mob or money, with beer, swearing and dreaming of winning the lottery or get-rich-quick schemes, and maybe a slightly crime-adjacent lifestyle. Kimberly’s parents love her but she wishes they would do better. They have problems. Dad Buddy (Jim Hogan) is often hours late picking up his daughter, often because he’s too focused on winning a bar bet. Her immature, slightly less unreliable mother Pattie (Laura Woyasz), who is pregnant, is self-absorbed and constantly relives her own popular high school days. Kimberly set up a “swear jar” to help keep her parents’ language under control, but it is usually full, with contributions from both. Despite all that, they seem to think it’s all fine, as long as they make the rent.
Kimberly and her family left their last home in the middle of the night, due to some secret incident that may have something to do with Kimberly’s Aunt Debra (Emily Koch). While Kimberly’s parents might be a bit sketchy, Aunt Debra definitely has crime in her past. They are eager for her not to find them. Yeah, that kind of family.
Satiric humor is plentiful with this material. While Kimberly finds her family embarrassing and frustrating, she is more focused on school. Seth, the boy who works at the skating rink, is in Kimberly’s biology class, as is Delia and her crew, and there is a science presentation coming up and the students are supposed to pair up to make a presentation on a disease. When Seth asks Kimberly if she wants to pair up for a presentation on her disorder, she declines. The last thing she wants to think about, to talk about, is how she is different from the other kids. But she and Seth seem to hit it off.
High school tropes, dark humor and tongue-in-cheek humor fill the show, which shifts from comedy to something more moving and dramatic as the story unfolds.
All the cast are impressive, creating characters who are both appealing and believable. Emily Koch is hilarious as bad girl grown up Aunt Debra, but all the cast have comedy chops. Grace Capeless is another standout as the overachieving Delia, and Darron Hayes is all silly fun as theatrical Martin. Miguel Gil is sweetly nerdy as Seth, who loves anagrams and creates one with Kimberly’s name that includes Akimbo, which she kind of is. Jim Hogan and Laura Woyasz are perfect as Kimberly’s clueless ineffective parents, caught up in their own fantasies.
Carolee Carmello brings a great sweetness, and impressive believability, in her affecting portrayal of Kimberly. Although she is shy, Kimberly is determined to live life as fully as she can, working hard in school and trying to make good grades. At fifteen, Kimberly has dreams, mostly to travel, aware her life is more limited than most.
One of the best things about this show is that there are no villains. Every character is a full person, with their own weaknesses but their own hopes and dreams too. Even shady Aunt Debra, who does not let a little thing like the law get in the way of her get-rich-quick schemes, has kindness underneath, and a real fondness for her niece. The story has the feel of something real, and unfolds in surprising way, just life life.
The production cleverly transforms the stage sets quickly and effectively, changing seamlessly from the skating rink, to Kimberly’s home, to the school.
Without a doubt, this is the best show the Fox has hosted this year, and even in the best of some other year.. This one is well worth a return visit, and hopefully that will happen. “Kimberly Akimbo” is on stage at the Fabulous Fox through April 6.
© Cate Marquis
