A Great Adventure: Thoughts on Kimberly Akimbo

 

"When opportunity knocks. When possibility calls..." You get tickets to see Kimberly Akimbo and you get to enjoy every second of the experience! (Trust me, it will make your sh*tty life better. ;) ) 

I had been listening to the Original Broadway Cast recording of Kimberly Akimbo for most of this past year and have really gotten to know the songs well and enjoy them more and more with each listen. So I was really curious to see how they would play out on stage and what would actually happen in the story. I can tell you that listening to the music is not going to spoil anything because you're still going to be plenty surprised! 

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." (Synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia.)

There's so much more to the story than the synopsis implies. It's full of many ups and downs, really funny moments, and some heartbreaking ones too. I loved it from the moment it started and walked out of the theater exhiliarated by the experience! We had almost the entire original cast, except for Victoria Clark, who normally plays Kimberly. In her place, we had Colleen Fitzpatrick, who did a marvelous job in the lead role. My main goal was to see Bonnie Milligan play Debra and I got my wish. She was even better than I was expecting her to be and I had high expectations. She definitely earned that Tony! Justin Cooley also delivered as Seth and was even more awkward than he sounds just from the songs. I loved him for that. Everyone in this intimately sized cast was amazing though. I loved the four teenagers and all their interactions with each other. The best part is when Debra calls them out on it, but that's all I will say... 

On the side doors, they have pictures and descriptions of all the teenagers, including Kimberly, of course!

The set was really well put together. It would shift smoothly between a house (as well as the basement of the house), a school, and an ice rink. The costume changes happened on stage sometimes. Kimberly would wear a robe over her clothes to go to bed and then would take the robe off in the morning to reveal her outfit. I liked the costumes a lot too. They were simple but they gave off the feel for the time period. 

As I mentioned before, it was cool to see how some of the songs played out on stage. Especially with the context behind them. This was especially true for "This Time," "How to Wash a Check," "Our Disease," and "The Inevitable Turn." (The latter is one of my favorites and seeing it performed made me love it even more than I already do.)

If you're looking for something new and different to see on Broadway, you've come to the right place! It should be touring in the next year or so; don't miss out if it comes to a city near you. Definitely a rewarding production in every way possible. If you want to get a feel for the music and see the camaraderie of the cast, check out the Tiny Desk Concert. (A different actor is playing Seth, but he's still good.)

After the show, we stage-doored and met almost all the cast. The only two who didn't come out were Colleen Fitzpatrick (Kimberly) and Nina White (Teresa). Everyone was so nice too!

Olivia Elease Hardy (Delia)

Fernell Hogan II (Martin)

Steven Boyer (Buddy, Kimberly's dad)

Alli Mauzey (Pattie, Kimberly's mom)

Justin Cooley (Seth)

Bonnie Milligan (Debra, Kimberly's aunt)

Michael Iskander (Aaron)

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Corny, but A-maize-ing: Thoughts on Shucked

 

Earlier this spring, my older son introduced me to the music from Shucked. I had heard bits and pieces, but I wasn't prepared for how much fun the Original Broadway cast recording would be. It's a whole lotta country music, but that's my jam! I found myself listening to it every so often whenever I was out driving. The music is catchy and gets into my head a lot. So when my son and I were choosing shows to see during our Broadway trip, Shucked definitely made the list! And, of course, we both loved it!

The set is simple and rustic looking, but it captures the feel of the show. (Somewhere north of south and south of north.) We were sitting in the upper mezzanine, so we got a great view of the entire stage. 

Maizy and Beau, two residents of the rural Midwestern community of Cobb County, are forced to postpone their wedding when the corn crop is blighted. Maizy, on the advice of her cousin Lulu, the local whiskey distiller, leaves town to try to find a way to save their corn. Maizy travels to Tampa, Florida, where she meets Gordy Jackson, a con-man who claims he can help, but secretly thinks Cobb County might have riches he can take to settle his debts. When the two return, Gordy comes into conflict with both Beau and Lulu, which leads to some interesting situations. (Synopsis adapted from Wikipedia.)

What I didn't expect was how gosh darn funny the show was going to be. I only knew stuff from the songs, and there's a nice mix of humor there. However, the lines are the funniest part. Especially all the stuff Peanut says and how he delivers it. I was laughing constantly. Lulu had some great one-liners too. So many puns throughout the show, as well. If you're a pun fanatic, you will LOVE it! The characters seemed to enjoy making fun of themselves and each other. What my son didn't expect was to cry from the first song, which is about corn. I get it though. It was more the overwhelming excitement of seeing everything on stage. (I cry during the opening number of Legally Blonde every time I see it.)

We had two understudies for this show. One was for Maizy, who is usually played by Caroline Innerbichler. However, we saw Traci Elaine Lee in the role and she gave it her own spin. While Caroline comes off as more twangy on the cast recording (which is how she is supposed to sound and it is cute), Traci's vocals were smooth and still worked really well for the role. (Listen to her singing "Woman of the World.") Storyteller 1 was played by Yasmeen Sulieman (usually played by Ashley D. Kelley) and she was adorable and so much fun. She worked really well with Grey Henson, who played Storyteller 2. (We were thrilled that he was performing because he played Damian in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls.) And of course, we were so excited to see Alex Newell as Lulu. I can't even imagine anyone else in that role. They were perfection! Everyone in the cast was wonderful. Kevin Cahoon definitely stood out as Peanut, especially with his accent and hilarious line delivery. The actor who played Gordy (John Behlmann) was on Riverdale, but I had to look him up and it still took me a while to remember him. 

I already like the songs a lot from listening to them, but now they make even more sense along with the story. All the songs are really good. Some favorites are "Woman of the World," "Somebody Will," "I Do," and "Independently Owned." It will be fun to listen to all of them again and be able to visualize everything that is going on. I am not going to spoil anything for you though. If Shucked comes on tour, I highly recommend it for a ton of laughs. Even if you don't like country music, it's so worth watching. (My husband isn't into the music but I think he'll find the show really funny if he actually sees it.) If you're able to see it on Broadway, definitely do so!

We got to meet a couple actors after the show. Kevin Cahoon (Peanut) and Grey Henson (Storyteller 2). They both were so nice! While we were hanging out around the city after the show, we ran into Grey and he recognized us from the stage door. He even chatted with us! Day? Made! Unfortunately, Alex didn't stage door, but we were glad we got to see them perform. It's not as common for actors to stage door between shows since they have so little time, so we're thankful for who we got to meet. (Also that we went last week, since they're holding off on stage-dooring this week due to a spike in COVID. Yikes.) Here's a funny video of Grey and Kevin having a little chat, but only one is actually in character.

Kevin Cahoon

Grey Henson

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Come What May: Thoughts on Moulin Rouge, the musical

 

Although Moulin Rouge is currently on tour in DC, I wanted to see it on Broadway instead. The main reason was that Casey Cott is currently playing Christian. Since I'm a huge Riverdale fan, I could not pass up the chance to see one of its stars on Broadway. Especially since I know what a great singer Casey is! However, I'm also glad I saw it on Broadway for another reason....the set! I heard that the tour doesn't have as elaborate of a set and it felt really immersive from where we were sitting. (We were in row H, but the way things were set up, we were really close to the stage. 

Miniature model from Museum of Broadway

The show follows Moulin Rouge star performer, Satine, and an American man, Christian, as they navigate through a tumultuous love affair. The Moulin Rouge is going bankrupt and Harold Zidler, the club's owner, is willing to do whatever's necessary to save his beloved show and the jobs of all involved. He sets Satine up with The Duke, a wealthy man looking for a woman to be his own. It is Harold’s hope that she is what will entice The Duke to put up the money to save the Moulin Rouge. Little does Harold know of The Duke's violent past when it comes to his relationships. This puts a massive obstacle in between Christian and Satine. It leaves all wondering, “Is it all worth it for love?” But, love always prevails, as following the Bohemian ideals of “truth”, “beauty”, “freedom”, and “love”. (Synopsis courtesy of Stage Agent.)

More set pictures:

About ten minutes before the show started, the ensemble started assembling on stage and just doing their own thing in character. Then everything got started when Casey walked on stage and raised his hand to signal the Moulin Rouge sign to lift and the action to get started. I love that it kicked off with "Lady Marmalade" and it reminded me of how I'd always blast that song really loud in my car. The one thing that really stood out to me was that I could tell that one of the performers was a man in drag. And I LOVED that!!! (It was confirmed a little ways into the show.) 

There were so many changes made to the music from the movie soundtrack. Most of the songs were from the 2000s and 2010s. They did toss in a couple eighties and nineties songs too. I didn't realize until way later that they took out "One Day I'll Fly Away." That was surprising since it's such a good song. They also, thankfully, took out the Duke singing "Like a Virgin", which was so cringey in the movie! A lot of the songs were mashups. And they extended the "Elephant Love Medley" big time. I definitely want to listen to the music again!

I liked it way better than the movie overall. It was easier to follow the story this time around. Casey added an earnestness and innocence to Christian that made the character even more likable. Courtney Reed was fabulous as Satine. Not only was she stunning, but she had a gorgeous voice. She and Casey worked well together on stage and I enjoyed seeing their chemistry. 

The supporting characters were great too. Zidler looked exactly like the one from the movie. Amazing what costumes and makeup can do. I didn't realize the Duke was played by an understudy until intermission. The actor (Aaron C. Finley) was that great of a fit for the role. I loved that David Merino was playing Baby Doll. He has performed in local professional theaters in the DC area, so it was cool to see him on a Broadway stage. Christian's friends, Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago, were awesome. Toulouse was so different from how John Leguizamo played him in the movie. He seemed deeper and more emotional. 

For being a jukebox musical, Moulin Rouge was really quite phenomenal and I'm really glad I saw it on Broadway. 

The other exciting part of the evening was that Casey stage-doored afterward and I got a picture with him. I was too starstruck to say much, but it definitely made my night!

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