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Kimberly Akimbo
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Shade Murray
At A Red Orchid Theatre
1531 N.Wells
Chicago, IL
Call 312-943-8722, tickets $14 - $16 - $20
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 7 PM
Running time 2 hrs 10 min with intermission
Through December 18, 2005
Kimberly Levaco turns into. . .Cleverly Akimbo ---Jeff
What's Akimbo? ---Kimberly
It's. . .bent. You know, when your hands are on your hips, then your arms are akimbo ---Jeff from the play, Kimberly Akimbo
Kimberly Akimbo is rich in humor and terrific performances.
In a Chicago Premiere, A Red Orchid Theatre presents Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire (Fuddy Meers) a play rich in zany dysfunctional characters. This farce humorously teaches us to make every moment of our lives count as we meet Kimberly, age 16 going on 72 who suffers with progeria, a fatal genetic condition that ages her 4 ˝ times faster than normal.
Roslyn Alexander, a mature grandmotherly actress, deftly plays the teenager complete with effective ‘teen-talk,’ adolescent angst and cute shyness. Alexander gets us to see her as the honest, determined teen in a marvelous performance. The story revolves around the precocious, insecure teen who struggles with both her condition and her crazy family lead by her pregnant, hypochondriac mother, Pattie (played with terrific hilarity by Mierka Girten) and her looser of a father, Buddy (played effectively by Matt Kozlowski) who drowns himself in booze. Add the criminal, prostitute lesbian aunt, Debra (played strongly by Jennifer Engstrom) and Kimberly Akimbo plays as a wacky slice of life farce.
Kimberly Akimbo is full of funny toilet humor, sarcastic retorts and self-deprecating descriptions. Lindsay-Abaire’s quirky low class oddballs offer us many laughs. Kimberly’s attempt to live in the moment is helped by the nerdy-weird teen, Jeff, played with cute shyness by Steve Haggard. Jeff sees Kimberly as a teen, not an old lady and he quickly develops a crush on her that is played out in a marvelously cute and funny scene where Kimberly sits two chairs away from Jeff who slowly moves toward her and awkwardly attempts to kiss her. Alexander and Haggard have a wonderful chemistry rich in empathy. Haggard adds fine comedic timing and marvelous facial gestures that produce some cute moments.
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I like the humor from Matt Kozlowski and Mierka Girten who land many funny lines and swiftly deliver their humor to cover their inability to cope with Kimbrly’s deterioration. Lindsay-Abaire wisely chooses not to sentimentalize Kimberly’s plight. Instead, Kimberly is the strong and determined to enjoy the moment as she concocts a scheme to see the world and get the boy. Director Shade Murray keeps the show moving and allows each hilarious scene enough space to work.
Kimberly Akimbo’s crazy characters and insane situations offer a refreshingly different take on teen struggles, mortality and dysfunctional family life. I thought Roslyn Alexander and Steve Haggard were excellent. This show is a hoot!
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Chicago Stage Talk Radio Show
This show is eligible for a C.S.T. Equity Theatre Award
November 6, 2005
Jeff Recommended
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