Louise Pitre in Kimberly Akimbo.Emelia Hellman/Mirvish
- Title: Kimberly Akimbo
- Written by: David Lindsay-Abaire
- Music by: Jeanine Tesori
- Director: Robert McQueen
- Actors: Louise Pitre, Tess Benger, Jake Cohen, Kyle Jonathon, Cyrus Lane, Taylor Lovelace, Luca McPhee, Kristen Peace, Thomas Winiker
- Company: Mirvish Productions and the Segal Centre for the Arts
- Venue: CAA TheatreCity: Toronto, Ont.
- Year: Runs to Feb. 8
Kimberly Akimbo is special.
To be clear, when I say “Kimberly Akimbo,” I’m talking about three things: the show, written tenderly (if at times clumsily) by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori; the production of the work now playing at Toronto’s CAA Theatre and directed with sensitivity and wit by Robert McQueen; and the character, played with adolescent spunk by Louise Pitre.
The show – about a 16-year-old girl with a genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly – is a Trojan Horse for joy. But don’t get it twisted: There’s plenty to be weepy about in Lindsay-Abaire’s script, from the ticking clock of Kimberly’s life expectancy to her imperfect parents. Kimberly Akimbo expertly weaves between ebullience and grief – even when it falls face-first into its own plot holes in the second act.
McQueen’s production, meanwhile, is divine, an intimate celebration of youth in all its forms. The starry cast – filled with familiar faces from across the spectrum of age – taps into the humour and heartache of Lindsay-Abaire’s book, and, for the most part, delivers Tesori’s mellifluous score with grace.
Jake Cohen, Kyle Jonathon, Thomas Winiker and Luca McPhee in Kimberly Akimbo.Emelia Hellman/Mirvish
And the character – oh, Kimberly. Perhaps the most likeable Broadway protagonist of the 21st century, Kimberly (or Kim, or Kimmy, depending on whom in her chaotic life you ask) is a gem of a role. In Pitre’s storied hands, she’s brought to life with all the curiosity and love such a part requires, even when the role’s vocal demands get the better of the actor.
When we meet Kimberly and her ragtag group of classmates, they’re at an ice rink in New Jersey in the 1990s. Kim’s the new girl in town; Seth (Thomas Winiker) works behind the counter, renting out skates. Their chemistry, unlikely though it might seem, owing to Kimberly’s condition, is instant.
Soon enough, we meet everyone else, from the local show choir (a standout Luca McPhee, plus Jake Cohen, Kyle Jonathon and Taylor Lovelace) to Kim’s parents (Tess Benger and Cyrus Lane).
Before long, the stakes of Kim’s life become achingly clear: At 16, she’s reached her predicted life expectancy, and what does she have to show for it? Her dad’s drinking is out of control, and her mom is pregnant with another kid – a little sister who has a 25-per-cent chance of being born with the same condition as Kimberly.
Jake Cohen and Kyle Jonathon in Kimberly Akimbo.Emelia Hellman/Mirvish
The drama all but writes itself: How can Kimberly create a life for herself without so much as a friend to lean on? In a letter to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, she spells out the constraints of her living situation (cramped) and family dynamic (dysfunctional) – all she wants, she says, is to have an adventure or two before her story comes to an end.
Kimberly Akimbo is perhaps the most poignant musical I’ve ever seen – yet its plot, particularly in the second act, is spectacularly holey. A lighthearted cheque-fraud subplot (yes, really) results in oddly few consequences for its characters, and an awful, bruising fight between Kimberly and her parents fades into memory before its details have the chance to fully land.
It’s a testament to McQueen’s cast – and McQueen himself – that these narrative peculiarities are mere scenery for a story that’s far more about its people than its plots. And the people onstage are just outstanding. Benger, as Kim’s pregnant mother, elicits a surprising amount of empathy for someone who doesn’t treat our protagonist particularly well; the same is true of Lane as Buddy, Kimberly’s capricious dad.
Together, Lane and Benger offer a portrait of a family cracked, but not shattered, by its circumstances. While it’s tough to root for their characters, it’s perhaps tougher not to love them, just a little.
As Debra, Kimmy’s volatile aunt, Kristen Peace is a knockout, a flaming, camo-clad ball of energy and high-belt pizzazz. Her songs inject Kimberly Akimbo with a punchy, rock ‘n’ roll-style edge, and, much like Kim’s parents, it’s a struggle not to like her a bit, even when she’s at her most despicable.
Luca McPhee and Taylor Lovelace in Kimberly Akimbo.Emelia Hellman/Mirvish
As written by Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo’s show choir falls somewhere between an ensemble and a Greek chorus, and, led by McPhee, the group perfectly (and tunefully) taps into the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies being a high schooler.
That leaves Pitre and Winiker as Kimberly Akimbo’s central pair, two teens with hardened ideas of what it means to see the world from a unique perspective.
Winiker is stunning as Seth – his voice is more than up to the challenges presented by Tesori’s score, and he beautifully conjures the nuances of Seth’s crush on Kim. It’s a masterful performance that never overplays the “dork” card, and Winiker instead captures Seth in all his contradictory, quirky layers.
Pitre, living legend that she is, is a less simple affair. Acting-wise, she’s terrific, and never lets her own age colour Kimberly’s exuberance, curiosity and naïveté. During Kimberly Akimbo’s many non-musical scenes, it feels as if no one else but Pitre could possibly play the title role.
The problem, alas, is that Kimberly sings quite a bit, and more in the show’s second act. Pitre’s voice is in fine shape for Kim’s first few songs – Make a Wish in particular is lovely – but things deteriorate when Now, a romantic, emotionally charged duet, comes along in Act 2. Pitre struggles to navigate the vocal line, her voice’s wide vibrato making Now feel long and a bit painful – it’s an unfortunate side effect of a role that, by definition, is physically, emotionally and vocally challenging for its actor.
Is Kimberly Akimbo flawless? Clearly not. But despite my above quibbles, significant though they are, I’ve already bought a ticket to see it again – to revel in Gillian Gallow’s fittingly askew set, and to marvel at McQueen’s ensemble. As the show reminds us: Life’s too short to get hung up on the imperfections.
Kimberly Akimbo runs to Feb. 8.