Kimberly Akimbo (musical)

Kimberly Akimbo
Broadway promotional poster
Music	Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics	David Lindsay-Abaire
Book	David Lindsay-Abaire
Basis	Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire
Premiere	November 6, 2021 (2021-11-06): Linda Gross Theater
Productions	2021 Off-Broadway 2022 Broadway 2024 North American Tour
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score

Kimberly Akimbo is a 2021 musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, and lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 comedy of the same name.^[1]

The show tells the story of a lonely teenage girl, Kimberly Levaco, who suffers from a condition similar to progeria that causes her to age rapidly, thereby giving her the appearance of an elderly woman, and how, according to Playbill, "[f]orced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side."^[2]

The show's premiere production opened Off-Broadway on December 8, 2021, at the Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan; it was critically acclaimed, with the performances of Victoria Clark, Justin Cooley, and Bonnie Milligan, Lindsay-Abaire's book and lyrics, and Tesori's score all receiving praise. The off-Broadway production won Best Musical prizes at the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

The show then moved to Broadway, opening at the Booth Theatre on November 9, 2022 (with previews beginning on October 12). The Broadway production also received critical acclaim and won five Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Bonnie Milligan).