Kimberly Akimbo at the Orpheum Theatre

Carolee Carmello in the National Tour of
Kimberly Akimbo. Photo by Joan Marcus.

We were excited to see Kimberly Akimbo on tour, as we hadn't been able to see it in New York. In the original Broadway production, Kimberly, a teen with a rare genetic condition that ages her far beyond her years, was played by Victoria Clark, a wonderful performer we were lucky enough to see years ago in The Light in the Piazza. 

On this tour, the role is played by the equally delightful Carolee Carmello, who we first saw on the AMC TV series Remember WENN. A theater veteran with outstanding credits including the original casts of Parade and The Addams Family plus 14 other Broadway shows, she was a definite selling point of the show and did not disappoint! Go see it at the Orpheum Theatre before it heads to its next stop. Last two shows are on July 13.

In a world of jukebox musicals and musicals based on movies, Kimberly Akimbo has one of the more unusual plotlines. It won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical, Best Book for David Lindsay-Abaire, and Best Original Score for Jeanine Tesori's music and David Lindsay-Abaire's lyrics.  

Carolee Carmello and the National Touring Company of
Kimberly Akimbo. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The show follows Kimberly, a teen dealing with a debilitating condition that causes her to age at four  to five times the normal rate, so that at 16, she has the body, including aches and pains, of a woman in her 60s. She's at a new school, hoping to make friends, and not getting much support from her wildly dysfunctional family. In spite of the challenges the character faces, the show is funny, touching, and hopeful. 

The National Touring Company of Kimberly Akimbo.
Photo by Joan Marcus.

The cast, led by Carmello, is small but mighty. Jim Hogan and Laura Woyasz play Kimberly's self-absorbed parents, and Emily Koch is hilarious as her not-so-petty criminal aunt. The young actor playing her love interest, Miguel Gil, is charmingly geeky. The other outsider teens (they're in Show Choir!), played by Grace Capeless, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Darron Hayes, and Pierce Wheeler, each have their own romantic issues, which are summarily sorted out by Koch's Aunt Debra. They're also in Show! Choir! and their harmonies are TIGHT.

Jeanine Tesori's tunes are catchy, and David Lindsay-Abaire's lyrics and lines are frequently hilarious and often touching. 

We just want to give a little more love to Carolee Carmello, who has the daunting task of being an adult actor who is playing a teenager who is aging to an age beyond the actor's. Still with us? She does it beautifully, with a lovely youthful voice and fabulous physicality. You'll fondly remember the tale of Kimberly and to grab life by both hands, because we all only go around once. 

Extra fun fact! Like us, are you intrigued by how the cast managed to skate around at the ice skating rink? It's a cool trick. Click here to learn more.

Life of Pi National Tour at the Orpheum Theatre

Life of Pi was originally a Booker Prize-winning 2001 novel by Yann Martel, which was also made into a 2012 film by Ang Lee. The play, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, had successful runs in London's West End and then on Broadway. Now, the national tour of the play has opened at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, playing through March 9.

Taha Mandviwala as 'Pi' and puppeteers Anna Leigh Gortner,

Shiloh Goodin and Toussaint Jeanlouis as 'Richard Parker'

in the National Tour of LIFE OF PI. 

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

Back to the Future & Peter and the Starcatcher (guest post)

Guest Review by Ernest Edwards

The Twin Cities’ 2024/2025 theater season is off to a good start. This theatergoer was able to see two new shows on our stages last week.

The first production is Back to the Future The Musical. Yes, that Back to the Future, based on the 1985 movie of the same name. I had the pleasure of seeing this musical at the Winter Garden Theatre in NYC in December 2023. It was also my first time seeing Manhattan in December, which I highly recommend. From time to time, when Broadway shows go on tour, there is some trimming here and there to make the show tour-able. Never fear– there is still a DeLorean on stage. Spoiler! The car does fly over the stage at the end of the musical.