Kimberly Akimbo Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"Kimberly Akimbo" Description

Questions and Answers

Does “Kimberly Akimbo” have an official cast album?

Yes—“Kimberly Akimbo: Original Broadway Cast Recording” was released digitally on February 14, 2023, with a CD following that spring.

What’s the show’s unusual hook—why does Kimberly look older than her classmates?

She has a rare condition that accelerates aging, so she’s a teen who looks like a senior; the musical treats this with humor and empathy rather than pathos.

Where did the musical premiere and when did it hit Broadway?

It premiered Off-Broadway in 2021 at Atlantic Theater Company and opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in November 2022.

How decorated is the show?

It won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical, Best Score, and acting prizes for Victoria Clark and Bonnie Milligan.

Is there a post-Broadway life?

Yes—a 60-city North American tour began in 2024; international productions followed, including Australia in 2025.

What songs do fans talk about most?

“Make a Wish,” “Anagram,” “Good Kid,” “Better,” “This Time,” and the finale “Great Adventure.”

Notes & Trivia

• The Broadway production closed on April 28, 2024 after 612 performances and 32 previews (as reported by Playbill in April 2024).
• The show’s teen characters speak in anagrams; the book and lyrics sneak in wordplay that mirrors Kimberly’s problem-solving mindset.
• The cast album dropped on Valentine’s Day 2023—fitting for a musical that treats tenderness as a superpower.
• Several Broadway company members (including Miguel Gil and Darron Hayes) moved into principal roles on the U.S. national tour.
• Australian stagings in 2025 introduced local stars to the title role, bringing the show’s Jersey heart to the Southern Hemisphere.

Overview

Why does a musical about mortality feel like a party? Because “Kimberly Akimbo” treats time not as a prison but as a dare. Kimberly Levaco is sixteen, looks seventy, and decides to live loudly anyway. The score makes room for giggles, panic, crushes, and crimes, folding adolescence and afterthoughts into one present tense.

Born from David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2001 play and reborn with Jeanine Tesori’s music, the show thrives on contradictions: a caustic aunt who sings the house down, a checked-out mom with a lullaby, a dad who drinks and dreams. When the teens harmonize—at an ice rink, in a school hallway—the sound says what the adults can’t. The album captures that blend: nervy guitars, tender woodwinds, and a rhythm section that keeps Kimberly’s “great adventure” pushing forward (according to The Washington Post’s 2025 tour review, the orchestration glints with indie-rock flourishes).

Genres & Themes

• Contemporary musical theatre + indie pop textures ? a youthful pulse for hall-pass hijinks and first-love jitters.
• Vaudeville snap for Aunt Debra’s schemes ? comedy sharp enough to cut paper…and checks.
• Lyrical chamber writing (clarinet/tuba colors) ? Kimberly’s inner voice, gentle but unsentimental.
• Wordplay-driven patter ? anagrams-as-character: puzzles as survival skills.

Key Tracks & Scenes

• “Skater Planet” — Ensemble
  Where it plays: Opening at the Jersey ice rink; diegetic vibe with rink ambience.
  Why it matters: Establishes the teen chorus as a goofy Greek chorus and Kimberly’s outsider status.
• “Make a Wish” — Kimberly
  Where it plays: Early Act I, Kimberly itemizes the birthday she wants.
  Why it matters: A mission statement: desire over diagnosis. The cast album turns this into a signature track.
• “Anagram” — Kimberly & Seth
  Where it plays: Biology-project bonding; non-diegetic with puzzle metaphors.
  Why it matters: Love language as linguistics; their intimacy sounds like invention.
• “Better” — Debra (& Company)
  Where it plays: Aunt Debra pitches a low-rent caper in Act I.
  Why it matters: Comic bravura that reframes “better” as bolder—no one steals the show like Bonnie Milligan did.
• “Good Kid” — Seth
  Where it plays: Late Act I, Seth steps forward with his own rules vs. rebellion battle.
  Why it matters: The quiet kid’s thesis; a fan-favorite on the album.
• “This Time” — Company
  Where it plays: Act I finale; everyone vows to change.
  Why it matters: A promise that Act II will cost them something.
• “Great Adventure” — Company
  Where it plays: Finale.
  Why it matters: The show’s creed: life is short—enjoy the ride. (as stated in the 2024 Playbill closing note)

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• When Kimberly meets Seth at the rink, “Anagram” turns wordplay into flirtation—solving letters equals learning each other.
• Debra corrals the misfit quartet; “Better” primes their willingness to risk, setting up Act II’s check-washing fiasco.
• Pattie sings to an unborn baby and to herself; her numbers complicate the “bad mom” label without excusing it.
• Seth’s “Good Kid” refracts Kimberly’s bravery: his rule-following cracks the moment he refuses to let her face time alone.
• The finale “Great Adventure” binds the group—romance, regret, and responsibility—into a choose-joy manifesto.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Book and lyrics are by David Lindsay-Abaire, with music by Jeanine Tesori; Jessica Stone directs, Danny Mefford choreographs, and music direction was by Chris Fenwick. Orchestrations are by John Clancy with additional arranging by Macy Schmidt. The world premiere was produced by Atlantic Theater Company before transferring intact to Broadway. The official cast album is produced for Ghostlight Records—digital on Feb 14, 2023; CD in May 2023.

After Broadway closed on April 28, 2024, a 75-week, 60-city U.S. tour launched that fall, led initially by Carolee Carmello as Kimberly and featuring Miguel Gil (Seth), Emily Koch (Debra), Jim Hogan (Buddy), Dana Steingold (Pattie), Grace Capeless (Delia), Skye Alyssa Friedman (Teresa), Darron Hayes (Martin), and Pierce Wheeler (Aaron). Several creatives continued: Stone (direction) and the design language that balances pastel suburbia with rink-fluoro cool (according to Playbill’s tour casting and first-look features).

Reception & Quotes

The Broadway run became the most-awarded musical of the 2022–23 season, winning five Tonys including Best Musical—critics routinely praised its mix of oddball comedy and ache (according to the Tony Awards’ official site, 2023). The 2024–25 tour drew raves for maintaining clarity and charm while leaning into rock-tinged textures. Australia’s 2025 engagements extended the glow with new stars in the role.

“The season’s most moving new musical earns its place among the behemoths of Broadway.” — Jesse Green, The New York Times

“A joyous treasure… balances realism and absurdity.” — The Guardian (2025)

“Vibrant, witty, and profoundly humane; the music glints with indie-rock flourishes.” — The Washington Post (2025)

Technical Info

• Title: Kimberly Akimbo — Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Year: 2023 (album); 2021 premiere; Broadway 2022–Apr 28, 2024; U.S. tour from 2024
• Type: Stage musical / Cast album
• Composers–Lyricists–Book: Music by Jeanine Tesori; Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
• Direction/Choreo: Jessica Stone (director); Danny Mefford (choreography)
• Music Direction & Orchestrations: Chris Fenwick (music director); John Clancy (orchestrations); additional arrangements by Macy Schmidt
• Album Label & Release: Ghostlight Records — Digital/Streaming released Feb 14, 2023; Physical CD released May 19, 2023
• Notable Broadway Cast: Victoria Clark (Kimberly), Justin Cooley (Seth), Bonnie Milligan (Debra), Steven Boyer (Buddy), Alli Mauzey (Pattie) with Olivia Elease Hardy, Fernell Hogan, Michael Iskander, Nina White
• Tour Principals (2024–25): Carolee Carmello (Kimberly), Miguel Gil (Seth), Emily Koch (Debra), Jim Hogan (Buddy), Dana Steingold (Pattie), Grace Capeless (Delia), Skye Alyssa Friedman (Teresa), Darron Hayes (Martin), Pierce Wheeler (Aaron)
• Awards: 5 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Book, Score, Leading Actress, Featured Actress), among others
• Availability: Album on major streamers and CD; licensing via MTI

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Playbill; Tony Awards; The Washington Post; The Guardian; Atlantic Theater Company; Ghostlight Records; Wikipedia (cross-checked).