“Kimberly Akimbo” is One Great Adventure at The Pantages

Arts & Entertainment

"Kimberly Akimbo" is One Great Adventure at The Pantages An off-beat Tony winning musical that is funny and heartwarming

"Kimberly Akimbo" has arrived at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, bringing with it the heartwarming and quirky story that won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show follows 16-year-old Kimberly Levaco, who is aging rapidly due to a rare genetic condition that gives her the appearance of a much older woman. Despite the challenges of this condition, Kimberly's spirit shines as she navigates the complexities of adolescence, including crushes, family chaos, and even potential criminal activity. Jeanine Tesori's score and David Lindsay-Abaire's book combine humor with emotion and themes of longing, solitude, uncertainty and mortality.

Carolee Carmello, a three-time Tony nominee, leads the cast as Kimberly with strong vocals. She is joined by Miguel Gil as Seth, her sweet tuba-playing friend with a knack for puzzles and anagrams. He scrambles her name into Cleverly Akimbo during "Anagram" also featuring Delia, Grace Capeless; Martin, Darron Hayes; Teresa, Skye Alyssa Friedman and Aaron, Pierce Wheeler, all dealing with teenage romance issues while preparing for a choir competition.

Kimberly's New Jersey home life is always on the brink of "The Inevitable Turn" of daily interactions turning into arguments and accusations, with a flaky alcoholic father (Jim Hogan) and a hypochondriac narcistic pregnant mother (Dana Steingold).

Debra, Kimberly's aunt played excellently by Emily Koch, arrives unexpectantly to rope the teens into a check forging scheme to raise money for costumes and a road trip for Kimberly and her family. Koch steals the show as an amoral criminal whose take on the teens sexual confusion resulted in the biggest laugh of the night.

The show's unique blend of humor and emotional depth perfectly explore themes of family dysfunction, adolescence and longing to belong. The off-beat material works to create a heartwarming and upbeat tale of living life to the fullest and realizing that the world is all just one great adventure.

Playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre for a limited three-week engagement, from October 15 – November 3, 2024. Performances Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30pm; Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2 and 8pm and Sunday at 1 and 6:30pm. Tickets at BroadwayInHollywood.com or Tiketmaster.com or at the Pantages box office. The production will return to Southern California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from January 21 – February 2, 2025.