I remember when Broadway Sacramento announced it’s 2024-2025 touring Broadway shows. As I scrolled through the comments to see people’s first reactions, I was surprised to see that KIMBERLY AKIMBO was one of the most buzzed about show. The comments were filled with praise and excitement over the production coming to Sacramento, and while I had not heard of this show, I was eager to see what the buzz was all about.
KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a heartbreaking and hilarious production about Kimberly Levaco, a soon-to-be 16-year-old girl who has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to age four times faster than normal. After moving to New Jersey, Kimberly must navigate a dysfunctional family, a new school, her first crush, and possible felony charges. Despite the challenges, she faces life head-on to embark on a great adventure.
Hopefully I don’t sound like I am aging myself (no pun intended), but this show hit me like a truck with nostalgia. And it’s the kind of nostalgia that makes you feel like you’re embraced in a warm hug. The show is based in 1999, and the mentions of Gameboy, overhead projectors, butterfly clips, and the Stussy “S” that every kid knew how to draw took me back to elementary school. Not only did I feel nostalgic for the time period, but I also made me long to be a teenager with a crush. The show perfectly captures the sweet, awkward, and mortifying moments in the budding relationship between Kim and Seth. While these moments seem small, they helped to make the story more relatable to our own childhood.
The characters in this production are so well thought out, and you can tell they were created with love. Kimberly is complex; she is shy, and she just wants things to be normal. Seth is a little dorky; he loves anagrams, but he is extremely kind. Her parents, Buddy and Pattie, love Kimberly but clearly have some unresolved issues that cause a strain in their relationship. I could go on and on about the amazing people they have in this show. While the songs and set were great, it was the well-developed and complicated characters that made me fall in love with the show.
Now that I have seen the show, I completely understand what all the hype was about. With quirky characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and a deeply moving exploration of life’s unexpected twists, KIMBERLY AKIMBO is sure to capture your heart and give you a more optimistic outlook on life. See the show now through January 5 at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. Learn more here.
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Filipino
French
German
Hmong
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Vietnamese
