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Kimberly Akimbo
Winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Playwright, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Kimberly Akimbo focuses, with uncanny depth and quirky wit, on a sixteen-year-old girl suffering from a disease that causes her body to age nearly five times faster than it should.
120 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2003
25 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
David Lindsay-Abaire
20 books68 followersDavid Lindsay-Abaire is an American playwright and lyricist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for his play, Rabbit Hole.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 15, 2022
3.5, rounded up.
I vaguely remember reading this 20 years ago when it premiered as a play, and not thinking much of it - too cartoonishly weird, too twee (Variety even called it 'pointless and synthetic' - see below!). But now that it has gotten rave reviews in its reincarnation as a musical, I wanted to revisit it. Reading it this time around as the material for a musical lessened that initial disgruntlement a bit, and I could see its charms. But I bet it works much better surrounded by pop songs.
https://variety.com/2003/legit/review...#!
I vaguely remember reading this 20 years ago when it premiered as a play, and not thinking much of it - too cartoonishly weird, too twee (Variety even called it 'pointless and synthetic' - see below!). But now that it has gotten rave reviews in its reincarnation as a musical, I wanted to revisit it. Reading it this time around as the material for a musical lessened that initial disgruntlement a bit, and I could see its charms. But I bet it works much better surrounded by pop songs.
https://variety.com/2003/legit/review...#!
April 6, 2023
very good but I liked the musical better
February 15, 2023
I, obviously, read this because of the musical. And while the songs and the HS Ensemble weren’t in it, it still slaps. The story itself and the characters just really have found their way into my heart and there they will stay for the rest of my life, it seems like. And my, what a great adventure that will be.
Read
February 22, 2024I feel as if I cannot rate this because I am not used to this style of writing, but I enjoyed
March 27, 2024
I LOVED THIS. I’m obsessed!! Such an amazing story with complex characters.
April 14, 2024
“when life gives you lemons,
oh, when life gives you LEMONS,
you gotta go out,
you gotta go out,
you gotta get out and steal some apples cuz who the fuck wants lemons! YEAHHHH!”
oh, when life gives you LEMONS,
you gotta go out,
you gotta go out,
you gotta get out and steal some apples cuz who the fuck wants lemons! YEAHHHH!”
September 1, 2024
this is so my family coded and also one of the best things i have ever read.
December 31, 2025
I adore this musical so much that I had to buy the book. Makes me cry every time. Such an amazing story.
March 24, 2024
Great play! Slays big time. Would love to see this on stage.
June 21, 2012
Ok. There was a bit too much language for me to really consider putting this on at a high school (and the language was important for the characterizations and some of the humor). Which is just really upsetting because this is a smart, funny, moving play about the difficulty of growing up. And it has a D&D reference which was just fantastic.
For those who haven't read it, the play is focused on 16 year old Kimberly who has a particular strain of the aging disease which makes her age four and a half times faster than normal (making her effectively 72 in the play). Her family just moved from Secaucus to Bogota (New Jersey), outrunning her aunt who has been incarcerated at least once. Kimberly is noticed by a classmate who becomes her first friend. In the meantime, she deals with her pregnant mother and alcoholic (but not physically abusive) father while her rogue (in the D&D sense of the word) aunt tracks them down to Bogota and enlists Kimberly in her latest scam to get rich quick.
To say the family is dysfunctional is too simple. And yes, much of the humor hinges on the dysfunctional family motif (this family happens to have loose lips when it comes to cursing). Still, the funniest jokes come from a deeper awkwardness of parent to child, teen to teen, and child to family members. That is, take away the aging factor of Kimberly and her disease, and the play still works (well, mostly).
Great play. Someday I will live in a world where plays like this can be performed in high schools and the language will not be a factor. Until then, I'll drop a nickel in their swearing jar while praising the hell out of this play.
For those who haven't read it, the play is focused on 16 year old Kimberly who has a particular strain of the aging disease which makes her age four and a half times faster than normal (making her effectively 72 in the play). Her family just moved from Secaucus to Bogota (New Jersey), outrunning her aunt who has been incarcerated at least once. Kimberly is noticed by a classmate who becomes her first friend. In the meantime, she deals with her pregnant mother and alcoholic (but not physically abusive) father while her rogue (in the D&D sense of the word) aunt tracks them down to Bogota and enlists Kimberly in her latest scam to get rich quick.
To say the family is dysfunctional is too simple. And yes, much of the humor hinges on the dysfunctional family motif (this family happens to have loose lips when it comes to cursing). Still, the funniest jokes come from a deeper awkwardness of parent to child, teen to teen, and child to family members. That is, take away the aging factor of Kimberly and her disease, and the play still works (well, mostly).
Great play. Someday I will live in a world where plays like this can be performed in high schools and the language will not be a factor. Until then, I'll drop a nickel in their swearing jar while praising the hell out of this play.
June 27, 2023
A story about a girl who ages 4.5 times as fast as she should; so, in this play, her body is 72 but her mind is 16. She is part of a dysfunctional family, consisting of a drunk dad and a narcistic, hypochondriac mom. A homeless, ex-con aunt doesn't help the situation, but she does contribute to the funniest scenes. All in all, this is a decent dark comedy but can be predictable when it swerves into the dysfunctional family lane.
I recently saw the musical version of this on Broadway, and it was wonderful. The music was by Jeanine Tesori, of Fun Home fame (my favorite musical of all-time), and she nailed it. So, like many plays do, this play shines on the stage even though it is a bit drab on the page -- in this case, with the additional transformation into a beautiful musical.
I recently saw the musical version of this on Broadway, and it was wonderful. The music was by Jeanine Tesori, of Fun Home fame (my favorite musical of all-time), and she nailed it. So, like many plays do, this play shines on the stage even though it is a bit drab on the page -- in this case, with the additional transformation into a beautiful musical.
February 27, 2025
Who are the idiots that decide what stuff gets turned into broadway shows!?!? This play is such crap! All these people are super dysfunctional and lack any kind of moral compass. And who gets carpal tunnel surgery halfway into a pregnancy!?!? Nobody! The whole idea of this story is just pointless. There’s no value.
I read this to know what I was going into seeing this on the stage in my local off-broadway venue. I thought *maybe* there would be some heartwarming message about helping/befriending someone with a rare disease, or something along those lines. Not illegal stuff, of course.
I really don’t want to go see the show now. But the money has already been spent, so I might as well.
This play is stupid.
I read this to know what I was going into seeing this on the stage in my local off-broadway venue. I thought *maybe* there would be some heartwarming message about helping/befriending someone with a rare disease, or something along those lines. Not illegal stuff, of course.
I really don’t want to go see the show now. But the money has already been spent, so I might as well.
This play is stupid.
October 23, 2023
truly a gift
June 16, 2024
I don't know why the musical and play versions of this story are lumped together underneath "editions" of the same listing on Goodreads. They are very evidently not the same, despite sharing the same story and characters. This review is for the musical version, and I have written a different one for the play version underneath a no-man's-land listing of the play.
For a first, I am linking my review of the musical version here (the play version there) so that both can be read side-by-side if you so wish; the two pieces make for an interesting conversation on adaptations, so I will include the two reviews together.
You can find my review of the play here: Kimberly Akimbo
And now for the musical:
Essentially, and I am in the minority here, I think the musical adaptation does a huge disservice to the themes and exploration undertaken by the play. I go into in more detail in the other review, but the play is a black-comedy with scathing depictions of abuse and neglect. It is funny, but it is more-so quite dark.
The musical is fluffy, forced, and mindless. It suffers from the all-too problematic issue with most musicals in that it pursues feel-good vibes, good music, and broad audience appeal over genuine exploration of some difficult themes and disturbing character studies. Most of the time, though, musicals can get away with this problem without me getting too up-in-arms about it because that's the general essence of all musicals, barring a special few. This show, however, takes an albeit flawed yet powerfully dark story and waters it down. This isn't just candy entertainment, it is skittles nestled in cotton-candy on a spoon, forced down the audiences' willing throats.
This musical takes a lot of the powerful "showing" of characters and their emotional worlds (you have to be really paying attention to Kimberly's desire to be beautiful within the play, for example) and turns it into overwrought, repetitive songs that just "tell" and "tell" and "tell" what each of the characters are hoping and feeling and desiring, leaving no room for audience speculation. Not only does the musical tell you everything the play originally showed, the musical also doesn't do a good job in its "telling" either; the lyrics rely on repetitive one-liners and social platitudes to build the emotional worlds of these characters.
Additionally, the structure of the musical takes away the power of the final scene between Kimberly and her parents; to avoid spoilers, I will just say that in the play, the parents finally dump a bunch of secrets onto Kimberly that forces her to make up her mind about what her family thinks about it her. In the musical, she learns bits and pieces of said secrets until that final moment. Because the play has been building to that moment, the scene explodes with an intensity that is befitting for the rage we and Kimberly have come to feel for her parents. The musical dawdles to that moment and then limply lays it out before us. It is weak writing, and especially when compared to the original play.
I can't help but say I am supremely disappointed in this adaptation. All of the choices made were to serve a format best suited for a blockbusters, socially relevant musical instead of the story it was adapting. It took away the biting tone of the original to force feed a feel-good vibe that doesn't work for this story or me.
For a first, I am linking my review of the musical version here (the play version there) so that both can be read side-by-side if you so wish; the two pieces make for an interesting conversation on adaptations, so I will include the two reviews together.
You can find my review of the play here: Kimberly Akimbo
And now for the musical:
Essentially, and I am in the minority here, I think the musical adaptation does a huge disservice to the themes and exploration undertaken by the play. I go into in more detail in the other review, but the play is a black-comedy with scathing depictions of abuse and neglect. It is funny, but it is more-so quite dark.
The musical is fluffy, forced, and mindless. It suffers from the all-too problematic issue with most musicals in that it pursues feel-good vibes, good music, and broad audience appeal over genuine exploration of some difficult themes and disturbing character studies. Most of the time, though, musicals can get away with this problem without me getting too up-in-arms about it because that's the general essence of all musicals, barring a special few. This show, however, takes an albeit flawed yet powerfully dark story and waters it down. This isn't just candy entertainment, it is skittles nestled in cotton-candy on a spoon, forced down the audiences' willing throats.
This musical takes a lot of the powerful "showing" of characters and their emotional worlds (you have to be really paying attention to Kimberly's desire to be beautiful within the play, for example) and turns it into overwrought, repetitive songs that just "tell" and "tell" and "tell" what each of the characters are hoping and feeling and desiring, leaving no room for audience speculation. Not only does the musical tell you everything the play originally showed, the musical also doesn't do a good job in its "telling" either; the lyrics rely on repetitive one-liners and social platitudes to build the emotional worlds of these characters.
Additionally, the structure of the musical takes away the power of the final scene between Kimberly and her parents; to avoid spoilers, I will just say that in the play, the parents finally dump a bunch of secrets onto Kimberly that forces her to make up her mind about what her family thinks about it her. In the musical, she learns bits and pieces of said secrets until that final moment. Because the play has been building to that moment, the scene explodes with an intensity that is befitting for the rage we and Kimberly have come to feel for her parents. The musical dawdles to that moment and then limply lays it out before us. It is weak writing, and especially when compared to the original play.
I can't help but say I am supremely disappointed in this adaptation. All of the choices made were to serve a format best suited for a blockbusters, socially relevant musical instead of the story it was adapting. It took away the biting tone of the original to force feed a feel-good vibe that doesn't work for this story or me.
June 10, 2025
I'd seen the advertisements for the musical version when it came out a few years ago--being in the vague New York area means I get to see a lot of ads for Broadway shows--and I'll admit I was always kind of curious about this story. But it wasn't until I read Fuddy Mears earlier this year that made me actively seek it out. And it was worth it. It's like Fuddy Mears in a lot of ways, similar in its grounded story with whimsical elements, and while I'm sure the musical is slightly more heart-warming than this original play, there's still got a lot of heart to it. Well worth the read.
My rating: 5/5
Would I own/re-read?: Sure!
TW: Alcoholism, Rough Home, Existentialism
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed, even in the final scene at Six Flags Wild Safari.
My rating: 5/5
Would I own/re-read?: Sure!
TW: Alcoholism, Rough Home, Existentialism
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed, even in the final scene at Six Flags Wild Safari.
January 18, 2023
I don’t know how I feel about this play in comparison to the musical. There’s a lot more of the things I liked from the musical, and a lot less of the things I didn’t. Particularly I don’t miss the other teen character, but I do miss the context of her existing around other teens who can’t wait to grow up. And I do think that the family drama and bank robbing plot lines work better here because it feels like Kimberly has a lot more punch here. But then this doesn’t have the song “anagram.” And Then I miss a more thoughtful, curious Kimberly. I think they both work about equally for the medium they’re in. A strange, interesting, dark but humorous little play
February 6, 2022
What a terrific play. I read this after watching abair’s brilliant adaptation of his play into a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori. The musical is much funnier and lighter, but this wonderful play is equally strong. A 16 year old with a rare disease that makes her body age 4 times faster than usual. The story is brilliant the central character is a work of art for how she navigates an entirely dysfunctional world and family. And the character of her aunt was incredibly funny and painfully familiar .
January 8, 2023
Since it may be a while before the musical makes it’s way to Seattle, I checked out the original play. A funny, charming story of family dysfunction about 16-year old Kimberly Levaco - whose name is an anagram of Cleverly Akimbo - and who had a disease where her body ages 4 1/2 times as fast as it should. Upbeat and genuinely funny despite the lingering shadow of mortality that hangs over Kimberly.
July 22, 2020
I...have no idea why I liked this play, but I did! I don't like dysfunctional family plays, but the premise of this one was neat.
1 monologue for a 16/70 year old girl, lots for the mom, but they weren't as good.
1 monologue for a 16/70 year old girl, lots for the mom, but they weren't as good.
December 30, 2022
This is a play about family drama with the addition of the teenage daughter having a terminal illness that makes her look like an old woman. The characters feel complex in a short time period and all of their drama feels lived-in.
May 17, 2023
I saw the musical adaptation on stage, and felt excited to read the original text and compare it. It’s an interesting story, and you can really sympathise with Kimberly, but I can’t help but feel like there’s so much that happens by the end, it is slightly overwhelming.
March 25, 2024
Loved this :)
It was such a sweet and heartbreaking story. It sheds light on so many difficult and oppressive aspects present in society, but it does it in a subtle, non-preachy way…”show don’t tell” at its finest!! I hope Kimberly ditches her family for good…they are awful to her.
It was such a sweet and heartbreaking story. It sheds light on so many difficult and oppressive aspects present in society, but it does it in a subtle, non-preachy way…”show don’t tell” at its finest!! I hope Kimberly ditches her family for good…they are awful to her.
March 4, 2022
A unique story that was funny, deep, and entertaining throughout. I look forward to seeing the musical version on Broadway. Highly recommend!
July 5, 2023
Definitely like the musical more, but it’s so fun reading the source material!
October 1, 2023
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed it. Was kind of bored towards the middle, but picked up at the end. This is the Play, and I am very excited to read the musical soon!
October 3, 2023
such a NASTY play oh my GOODNESS. musical is a kids show in comparison. every member of her family deserves to be in prison
January 21, 2024
Here's hoping the national tour happens and is accessible to me (or better yet, that a great regional production happens)!
I really enjoyed this! I've listened to the cast album fully once and am more familiar with some songs than others, which made reading the lyrics a varied experience (Father Time is definitely my favorite). I was not overly familiar with the book aside from the main plot points, so the genuine humor was a lovely surprise. I loved all the characters, particularly Seth and the show choir, and I really loved the ending. What a gem.
I really enjoyed this! I've listened to the cast album fully once and am more familiar with some songs than others, which made reading the lyrics a varied experience (Father Time is definitely my favorite). I was not overly familiar with the book aside from the main plot points, so the genuine humor was a lovely surprise. I loved all the characters, particularly Seth and the show choir, and I really loved the ending. What a gem.
December 10, 2024
Loved seeing this on Broadway. Laughed and cried and felt all the feelings.
December 30, 2024
Great play. Sad and funny. The characters are so awful to each other, but funny too, and fun to read. I loved the musical so when I was given the play to read I was excited.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews