“Kimberly Akimbo” playwright unveils personal tie to character

Five-time Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo is wrapping up its national tour launch, successfully selling out shows at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts during its two-week stay at the Buell Theatre.
Ahead of the official launch, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, actress Carolee Carmello, and actor Miguel Gil sat down with CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas to talk about why the production connects with so many generations.
“It is hilarious, it is moving, it is brilliant. It is just an awesome ride,” Gil said.
Gil portrays one of the main characters in the production, “Seth.”
“This show is a coming-of-age story following Kim through her 16th year,” Gil said.
Kimberly, portrayed by Carmello, is a 16-year-old girl navigating the drama most teens encounter in their youth. However, she has a rare disease that causes her to age much more rapidly than everyone else her age. Therefore, Kimberly is also challenged by seeing life through the lens of someone also in their later years.
That means Carmello, who is considered by many to be a legend on Broadway, gets to revive her youth on stage each night.
“It is an actress’s dream,” Carmello said. “How often does a woman in her sixties get to play a 16-year-old? The hopefulness of the character I play is contagious.”
While the show addresses the realities of aging, those realities are regularly met with comedic relief throughout the musical.
“It is just a quirky funny show that makes you appreciate the people around you,” Carmello said.
“This show covers from the bottom of the sadness to the peaks of the happiness,” Gil said.
“It is uplifting, but it is also moving,” Carmello said.
Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire wrote the story in 2001, meaning the story is older than some of the cast members.
“No, I hadn’t thought about that until you just said it. Most of them weren’t alive when we wrote the play,” Lindsay-Abaire said when Thomas asked him about the story being around longer than most of those telling it on stage.  
Carmello’s character, Kimberly, does not have the last name of Akimbo. Rather, her last name is Levaco.
Thomas asked Lindsay-Abaire where the inspiration for “Akimbo” came from, and he said it was through Seth’s character, who is rooted in his own past.
“There is a character who does anagrams, and that is pretty much who I was when I was 16,” Lindsay Abaire said. “That is who I am.”
The show perfectly brings audiences from sentimental or saddening moments, quickly up to bursts of laughter throughout the entire production. While it may not be for young children, those involved with the show said they are thrilled to see teenagers and seniors alike laughing throughout the production.
“Despite everything (Kimberly) is going through, and all of her challenges, she is such a hopeful person and wants to have adventures. What more can you ask for?” Carmello said.
“Also, (Gil) plays a tuba in the show. If that is not worth the price of admission, I don’t know what is,” Carmello said.
If you would like to see Kimberly Akimbo in Denver, you have until Saturday night. Tickets are available at the Denver Center online. 
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