Thursday, July 10, 2025
Nope. This was not a winner. True, it won the Tony for best musical in 2023, but I don’t know why. I just asked my phone, “Why did Kimberly Akimbo win best musical?” because I had no idea. My phone told met that it was because it mixed sad and funny and the music was great.
Nope. None of that. There were certainly laugh out loud moments – at least 5 times I burst out loud laughing and thought I should be quieter. Kimberly had a fictitious disease that made her age quickly, so we were supposed to be sad for her, but they dropped the ball on that. They tried for poignant, but it was rushed and did not land. Her parents were horrible. Horrible people with really no redeeming qualities, including caring for their daughter. They were the kind of characters that feel cardboard and unreal but also give you the heebie-jeebies. Her aunt was worse. She intimated that she had lived a life of crime that included at least one death. Um. Ha ha? She was teaching kids to do crimes. The crime actually happened but apparently we were supposed to think that was grabbing life and living your best self. Um. Um?
I think I wrote the music. Or at least while singing the soundtrack of our life yesterday, it was very similar and equal quality to this music. Strum, strum the guitar – I am going I am going I am going for a walk – strum a different chord – it might rain, but it might not you neeeever knoooooow – drum drum – I don’t care because I am going I am going I am going for a walk.
That is straight up boring. There were some funny lines in songs:
Do you remember what you said?
How you hated me and wished I was dead
That you hoped I’d drive off the road
Then I’d hit a tree, and my car would explode
Well, I thought to myself
That can’t be good for a daughter to say
But for the most part they sounded like me singing about a walk or a tuna sandwich.
The cast was good. There were lots of funny lines from Kimberly’s school mates. The set was an old fashioned spin lockers around to make book shelves and it was really cute. I still don’t recommend it.
The guy on the right of the POTD stood and stood and stood while Keith was waiting to take a picture. I finally said to get up and move to get a picture. Keith did, but purposely included the guy. Hi guy.