How can a storyline about a teenage girl with a fatal disease become a musical full of joy, laughter and positivity?
That was the question in my mind when heading to the opening night of the latest Melbourne Theatre Company production at the Playhouse, the musical Kimberly Akimbo, by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori. Despite the apparently grim circumstances, this was a night in the theatre full of joy, pathos, fun and admiration for the way human beings can handle life when it deals them an impossible hand.
Kimberly Akimbo (Marina Prior) is a 16-year-old girl who may not see her 17th birthday, as she is afflicted by a very rare ageing disease that ages her more than four times faster than her peers. While the specific condition isn’t named, it is similar to progeria, which causes its sufferers to die prematurely, generally in their teens or early 20s.
Instead of letting this dictate her life, Kim is determined that she will embrace her life and break out and make it a life worth living, which she does in spades. At home are two selfish parents: heavily pregnant Pattie (Christie Whelan Browne) and drunkard Buddy (Nathan O’Keefe), whose lack of sensitivity makes it clear that they see the new baby as a chance to have a child better than Kim. They are not unkind, but lack insight and are certainly not the sharpest tools in the drawer.
In stark contrast, Kim is amazing in the way she accepts her limited span of life and doesn’t let her disease define her. Her charming nerdy boyfriend, Seth (Darcy Wain), adores her and it’s through Seth that she eventually breaks free of the limitations of home and life and heads out to create her own path and not leave any stone of possible joy unturned.
In the background are a quartet of four friends who also accept her (Marty Alix, Alana Iannace, Jacob Rozario, and Allycia Angeles, who is making her professional debut) and who play a dynamic close harmony quartet of singers. Adding to the mix is Kim’s badarse Aunt Debra (Casey Donovan), who blows in from prison on parole with a dodgy fraud scheme that can make them all a heap of money so Kim can achieve her dream of going on a road trip before she dies, and the quartet can afford the knockout costumes they need for a vocal competition.
The role of big brassy, in-your-face confidence trickster Debra is one that Casey Donovan simply eats up, and she often steals the show. As well as her magnificent belt voice, she has a natural flair for comedy and I simply couldn’t imagine anyone playing that role as well as Donovan. It is a bravura performance.
Marina Prior’s task as Kimberly is a tough one, as she needs a huge range of dramatic skills and body language to be convincing as a slightly awkward but incredibly mature and witty 16-year-old. Prior is simply magnificent and totally convincing. While she is a long way from the ingenue whose breakthrough was as the teenage heroine in Pirates of Penzance several decades ago, she just gets better and better every year. Her beautiful voice is superbly controlled and you could hear a pin drop whenever Prior commands the stage.
Darcy Wain’s Seth is another charming performance. He achieves just the right degree of try-hard nerdiness, which he sheds as he becomes more confident and in love with Kim, revealing a sensitive soul who is simply a lovely young man – it’s hard to believe that this is his professional debut as he comes across as a seasoned performer. As the parents, Whelan Browne and O’Keefe have the more difficult task of portraying two fairly unlikeable characters, which they do well, but it’s Prior and Donovan who are the stars of the night.
Musically, it’s easily accessible and the tunes are catchy, and are in the vein of classic music theatre, with not a rap sound in earshot. The young quartet gives us wonderful harmonies, and they are supported by an excellent small ensemble under the guidance of musical director Kym Purling. The whole show is a huge credit to director Mitchel Butel, who gives us a finely tuned production that doesn’t put a foot wrong. If I could find a fault in this show I would mention it, but I felt it was flawless. A show with heart, humour, drama and great music – what’s not to like?
Photo credit: Jo Duck / Claudio Raschella
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Julie Houghton reviewed “Kimberly Akimbo: The Musical”, co-presented by The Melbourne Theatre Company and the State Theatre Company South Australia at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse on July 26, 2025. The show runs until August 30.
