Review by Geoff and Monica Woodberry – Performance date: Friday 11 June 2025, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia
A Joyous, Heartfelt Ride at Her Majesty’s
State Theatre Company South Australia, in collaboration with Melbourne Theatre Company, has delivered a heartfelt, hilarious and deeply original production of Kimberly Akimbo. Set in suburban New Jersey, this Tony Award-winning musical is a wild blend of coming-of-age comedy, family drama, and existential rumination – all wrapped up in a pastel-coloured fever dream.
At the centre is Kimberly, a teenager with a rare genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly. Though she’s only sixteen, her body resembles someone in her sixties – a tragic twist made all the more touching by her wit, optimism, and yearning to live a little before her time runs out.
Marina Prior Steals the Show
Marina Prior as Kimberly is simply luminous. She walks a delicate line – portraying youthful awkwardness while embodying the physicality of an aging woman – and never once does it feel like an impersonation. Her voice carries the weight of someone who knows life is short but still wants to dance in the rain. There’s a beautiful stillness to her performance that anchors the chaos around her.
Alongside her, Casey Donovan is a scene-stealer as Aunt Debra. She bursts onto the stage with the energy of a Broadway hurricane, all scheming and sass, and she never lets up. Christie Whelan Browne and Nathan O’Keefe bring the right balance of absurdity and tragedy as Kimberly’s emotionally stunted parents.
The Teen Chorus Brings Spark
The quartet of high school misfits – played by Allycia Angeles, Marty Alix, Alana Iannace, and Jacob Rozario – add a buoyant, geeky charm. Their harmonies are tight, their characters endearing, and their choreography (thank you, Amy Campbell) is bursting with awkward, adolescent flair. Together, they form a kind of Greek chorus with braces and clarinets, reflecting the show’s offbeat spirit.
Set, Sound, and 90s Realness
Design-wise, Jonathon Oxlade has created a set that feels like a scrapbook of 90s suburbia – mobile, modular, and ever-changing – while Matt Scott’s lighting splashes it all in dreamy hues. Ailsa Paterson’s costumes nail the late-90s look with a clashing charm that perfectly suits this gang of misfits.
The music, by Jeanine Tesori, is unpredictable in the best way. It dips from tender ballads to awkward teen ensemble numbers with surprising ease, matched perfectly by David Lindsay-Abaire’s witty, bittersweet lyrics.
What Lands and What Misses
This production hits many highs: a touching central performance, a quirky ensemble, and a message that lingers long after the final note. Kimberly’s story is one of mortality, yes – but also of agency, of fighting for joy even when the odds are stacked against you.
The only real stumble is a subplot involving a cheque fraud scheme – an oddly clunky detour that momentarily drags down the emotional momentum. But it’s a small misstep in an otherwise superbly paced production.
Final Thoughts
Kimberly Akimbo is one of those rare musicals that wraps its arms around you – then sneaks in a gut punch. It’s absurd and tender, funny and heartbreaking, bold and deeply human. Under Mitchell Butel’s clever direction, this South Australian production sings with originality and heart.
Catch it at Her Majesty’s Theatre before it moves to Melbourne – and bring tissues. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and you might just walk out seeing the world a little differently.
Kimberly Akimbo
8 Jul – 19 Jul 2025
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia
Tickets
