Tonight I made my pilgrimage to Bergen County to say goodbye to Kimberly Akimbo. After watching a procession of mid musicals (Even Suffs, which I enjoyed) over the last 6 weeks, what a treat it was to watch a great musical--still with its original cast!
From the moment Vicky Clark took the stage to rapturous applause to the final bittersweet image of her at the Magic Kingdom I was reminded why this quirky, smart, and emotional musical took Broadway's heart a year ago. There's no doubt that if Kimberly Akimbo opened this year it would again be the easy favorite to win Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. The writing is a giant leap above any other Broadway musical of the 2020s.
Now, after nearly 3 years together performing this show, the cast has honed their delivery. Every joke landed, the timing couldn't be more sharp, and I felt the love between cast members. The way Vicky Clark and Bonnie Milligan look at Justin Cooley melts the heart as much as his dear Seth melts Kimberly's heart (and ours).
Justin Cooley was "the find" of Kimberly Akimbo, giving an easy breezy performance as the lovable teenage nerd. His performance has only gotten more engaging and winning. I cannot wait to see what he does next.
Aunt Deb is a much smaller character than she lives in our memory, which is a testament to Bonnie Milligan's greatness. She has the audience, and her co-stars, in the palm of her hand. How lucky I was to see her perform this role!
Ali Mauzey's rendition of Father Time has only gotten more heartbreaking. I am so impressed how she moves between dopiness and comedy to a truly vicious and heartless mother to a regrettably sad woman who is ashamed of her desire to "get it right" with another child. This is a such a well written and acted part.
And Victoria Clark... what more can be said? Her complete transformation to a teenager is one of the great coups de théâtre ever executed by an actor. She deserves every accolade she received for this character. And tonight, she led her cast in a wonderful performance.
Jeanine Tesori has emerged as the greatest composer of her era (Caroline or Change is the best musical ever written, IMHO) and Kimberly Akimbo is a terrific entry on her resume. With its classic themes of seizing the day, regret, aging, and check fraud, I'm sure it will be performed for a very long time.
But for now, the lights of Broadway will be a little dimmer without Kimberly. I'm so glad it made our sh*tty lives better.
