By Shari Barrett
Kimberly Akimbo, based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire who wrote the musical’s book and lyrics, with music by Jeanine Tesori, won five 2023 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score, the most critically-acclaimed musical during its Broadway season. And now is your chance to see it during its Los Angeles premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre for a limited three-week engagement through November 3. The touring company, featuring several original Broadway cast members, will return to Southern California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from January 21 – February 2, 2025.
At the center of the celebratory musical taking place in 1999 before kids had cell phones is Kimberly, the about to turn 16-year-old who recently moved with her family to a new town in Bergen County, New Jersey. Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition which causes her age rapidly, her first crush, and if she listens to her wild and crazy aunt Debra, possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, Kimberly is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure before the disease takes her life. Filled with big production numbers and wonderful ballads, it’s easy to see why this classically entertaining family musical is so popular with critics and audiences.
Three-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello brilliantly stars as Kimberly, sharing the teenager’s struggle to make friends in her new school as well as at the local ice-skating rink hangout, while her dysfunctional family ignores her all-important birthday. You see, Kimberly has reached her disease’s life expectancy and she is determined to get out and visit all the places she’s dreamed of before her time runs out. But first she must deal with her hypochondriac and very pregnant mother Pattie (Dana Steingold) and her drunken father Buddy (Jim Hogan) to earn the right to set out on her own.
Thankfully, Kimberly’s wild and crazy aunt Debra (comically portrayed to the hilt by incredible belter Emily Koch) shows up to open Kimberly’s world to the possibilities of doing what you need to do to live your own life. But her aunt’s method includes illegal activities, such as stealing checks from a corner mailbox (which she also stole) and wiping them clean, then re-writing each while singing about how to use the money during the delightful “How to Wash a Check” opening Act 2. Helping Kimberly and her aunt in the endeavor is Seth (Miguel Gil from the musical’s original Broadway company) who works at the ice rink front desk and is the resident nerd at school. As they get to know each other, Kimberly learns Seth’s favorite pastime is making up anagrams, comically described during “Anagram” with Kimberly and the talented “teen” ensemble (Grace Capeless, Barron Hayes, Skye Alyssa Friedman, and Pierce Wheeler) who dazzle with clever choreography by Danny Mefford.
Kimberly and Seth go through all the normal trials and tribulations of all teenagers as they learn about themselves and each other. And after accepting a wild ride from her father, who has obviously been drinking, the two teens decide to take things into their own hands, borrowing her Dad’s car and heading off to visit all the places Kimberly has ever wanted to go during their “Great Adventure” which ends the musical with a great positive flare. Video design by Lucy Mackinnon sets the locations, including riding roller coasters at Six Flags, something Kimberly has dreamed of doing her entire life.
With entertaining direction by Jessica Stone, music supervision by Chris Fenwick, and music direction by Leigh Delano, the entire production will hold your attention and keep you interested in each character’s life from start to finish. Scenic design by Tony Award-winner David Zinn employs marvelous moveable sets rather than focusing on video projections, with lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew and costume design by Sarah Laux.
Tickets for the National Tour of Kimberly Akimbo are available in person at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre box office at 6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90028, at www.BroadwayInHollywood.com or www.Ticketmaster.com. A $35 digital lottery will be offered for every performance in Los Angeles exclusively at www.BroadwayInHollywood.com/App. Tickets for performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, are available at www.SCFTA.org or by calling (714) 755-0236. Visit www.KimberlyAkimboTheMusical.com for more information.
Simon Levy, Producing Director of The Fountain Theatre since 1993, is again wowing audiences with his direction of the U.S. premiere of I, Daniel Blake, following his hit world premiere production of Fatherland, which is currently garnering rave reviews from audiences and critics alike off-Broadway. Both plays speak to the need for human beings to be heard, be it from different sides of the political. racial or socio-economic spheres.
I, Daniel Blake is a beautiful and deeply moving story about the need for human decency no matter your life circumstances that London Theatre calls “an ode to the working class” that carries an heroic urgency for this election season,” says Levy. “How many of us are literally one paycheck from disaster? It’s about people working together to help each other, to lift each other up, to not give in to despair. Daniel is a working-class hero, a person of hope and humor who is moved to fight the system and stand up for himself and others.”
Taking place in Newcastle, England’s northernmost metropolitan borough famous for its industrial heritage, eponymous brown ale, popular nightlife, and district regional ‘Geordie’ dialect, which is handled masterfully by the cast without sacrificing the ability to be understood by local audiences, JD Cullum, Philicia Saunders and Makara Gamble star in this powerful, timely and poignant story about people coming together in the face of a Kafkaesque government bureaucracy that refuses to see them as human beings. Daniel is a caring, warm-hearted middle-aged man who suddenly finds himself unable to work due to health issues. Katie hopes for a fresh start for herself and her teenage daughter Daisy. Together, they attempt to navigate the nightmarish unemployment and public housing system while clinging to their dignity and humanity. And throughout, we are reminded how often such similar instances are happening right here at home, with the homeless and unemployed struggled to stay afloat via in-between-scene videos designed by Nicholas Santiago viewed on Joel Daavid’s brick and stacked wooden box scenic design.
The three leads actors will each grab at your heartstrings from start to finish, with each character really wanting to do their best to make life better for each other and themselves. But buckling the government system, which always seems to put more roadblocks in your way no matter how hard you try, breaks down their spirit but not their will to succeed. Of special note is the 15-year-old Makara Gamble, who recently made her theatrical debut as Fredrika in A Little Night Music at the Pasadena Playhouse, who naturally flashes wisps of emotions on her face without uttering a word. Poor Daisy never wants to be a burden to her mother or their neighbor Daniel, often holding back from expressing those all-too-clear emotions she is trying her best to hide. Meanwhile, audience members cry openly.
Tall and lithe Philicia Saunders and rugged JD Cullum, both veterans of Southern California stages, dazzle with their dedication to character authenticity every single moment they appear onstage. And while not related by family, these three loners certainly become one almost immediately from the time they meet while waiting in the unemployment office. Ensemble players include Janet Greaves, Wesley Guimaraes, and Adam Segaller as the many government officials and local citizens who populate the story.
Adapted for the stage by Dave Johns from the Palme d’Or and BAFTA award-winning film written by Paul Laverty and originally directed in the U.K. by Ken Loach, performances of I. Daniel Blake directed by Simon Levy continue at the Fountain Theatre on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through November 24 (dark November 8-11). Tickets range from $25–$45 with PWYW seating available every Monday night in addition to regular seating (subject to availability). The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. Patrons are invited upstairs to relax before and after the show at the Fountain’s café. For reservations and information, call (323) 663–1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com. $5 secure onsite parking. Please read parking signs carefully on local residential streets.
