Everything you need to know about 'Kimberly Akimbo'

Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire's musical makes its European debut at Hampstead Theatre in autumn 2026.

Summary

• Kimberly Akimbo tells the story of a teenager with a rare ageing condition
• The show won five Tony Awards
• Michael Longhurst directs the European premiere
• The production is booking from 28 August to 7 November 2026

It’s never easy being a teenager, and it’s complicated if you have a rare genetic condition that makes you age about four times faster than usual. While growing older is the standard way to age out of the pangs of adolescence, Kimberly Levaco is unlikely to live that long. Faced with her impending mortality, she’s determined to make the most of the time she has left – not that her dysfunctional family makes things any easier.

Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire’s musical premiered off Broadway in 2021 and transferred to the Great White Way the following year. It won five Tony Awards and has become a cult favourite. The serious themes are laced with plenty of offbeat humour and a host of quirky characters.

Michael Longhurst’s production marks the show’s European premiere. Read on to learn more about the show and its production history before seizing the day with a ticket for this truly distinctive piece of theatre.

Book Kimberly Akimbo tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

What is Kimberly Akimbo about?

Set in the 1990s, Kimberly Akimbo is about a 16-year-old girl called Kimberly Levaco who has a condition that makes her present as a much older woman. Kimberly and her dysfunctional family have recently moved to Bergen County, New Jersey under mysterious circumstances; her father is an alcoholic, Buddy, and her mother, Pattie, is pregnant. Her aunt Debra, a former convicted criminal, attempts to recruit Kimberly and her new friends to take part in a heist. Will Kimberly experience love and adventure in the limited time she has?

While Kimberly’s condition is never named in the show, it is based on progeria, a rare genetic condition that is thought to affect around one in every 18 million births, in which symptoms resembling aspects of ageing present at an early age. There is no known cure and life expectancy is usually mid-to-late teens to early twenties.

Who wrote Kimberly Akimbo?

Kimberly Akimbo is based on a play of the same name by David Lindsay-Abaire, which was first performed in California in 2001 and off Broadway in 2003. Lindsay-Abaire provides the book and lyrics for the musical adaptation. His other plays include Fuddy Meers, Good People and Rabbit Hole (for which he won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama).

The music is by Jeanine Tesori, whose achievements include Violet, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline, or Change, and Fun Home (which won the Tony for Best Original Score in 2015). Most recently, her opera Grounded was performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera.

When was Kimberly Akimbo first performed?

Kimberly Akimbo was first performed off Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater from November 2021 to January 2022, directed by Jessica Stone and starring Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza, Punch). It then opened at Broadway’s Booth Theatre on 10 November 2022. The production played for 32 previews and 612 regular performances.

A North American tour launched in September 2024 and the show received its Canadian premiere in Montreal in November 2025. The production at Hampstead Theatre marks the show’s European premiere.

What awards has Kimberly Akimbo won

Kimberly Akimbo was nominated for eight Tony Awards in 2023, and won five: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Bonnie Milligan).

The show also won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and the cast album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.

Who are the characters in Kimberly Akimbo?

Kimberly Akimbo features the following cast of characters:

Kimberly Levaco: A bright, lively, empathetic 16-year-old with a rare condition that makes her age prematurely. She longs for independence and adventure.
Seth Weetis: Kimberly’s classmate, a tuba player who shares her enthusiasm for word games, with whom she develops a friendship.
Buddy Levaco: Kimberly’s immature, alcoholic father.
Pattie Levaco: Her hypochondriac mother, who is pregnant with her second child.
Aunt Debra: Pattie’s sister, a morally questionable ex-con who gets her niece and her friends involved in a heist.
Martin Doaty, Delia McDaniels, Teresa Benton, Aaron Puckett: Members of the school’s show choir, who become friends with Kimberly. They have their own complex network of unrequited crushes.

What are the songs in Kimberly Akimbo?

Kimberly Akimbo’s dynamic score includes the following songs:

Act I

"Skater Planet" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth, Kimberly
"Hello, Darling" - Pattie
"Make a Wish" - Kimberly
"Skater Planet (reprise #1)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
"Anagram" - Seth, Kimberly, Company
"Better" - Debra, Kimberly, Company
"Hello, Darling (reprise)/Father Time" - Pattie
"Happy For Her" - Buddy
"Anagram (reprise)" - Kimberly
"This Time" – Company

Act II

"How to Wash a Check" - Debra, Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
"Good Kid" - Seth
"Hello, Baby" - Buddy
"Skater Planet (reprise #2)" - Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa, Seth
"Our Disease" - Kimberly, Seth, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
"The Inevitable Turn" - Pattie, Buddy, Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
"Now" - Seth, Kimberly
"How to Wash a Check (reprise)" - Debra, Aaron, Delia, Martin, Teresa
"Before I Go" - Kimberly, Buddy, Pattie
"Hello, Sister" - Kimberly, Seth
"Great Adventure" - Company

Where is Kimberly Akimbo being performed?

Kimberly Akimbo will be performed in the main house of the Hampstead Theatre, located at Swiss Cottage in north-west London. The modern auditorium seats around 370 audience members. While the venue is best known for staging plays, it had great success with Michael Longhurst’s production of Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner’s musical Caroline, or Change in 2018, which starred Sharon D Clarke and transferred to the West End and Broadway.

When is Kimberly Akimbo being performed?

Kimberly Akimbo will be performed between 28 August to 7 November 2026 (opening night is on 9 September). Performances take place between Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm.

How long is Kimberly Akimbo?

The running time of Kimberly Akimbo at the Hampstead Theatre is to be confirmed but it’s likely to be similar in length to the Broadway production, which was 2 hours 25 minutes.

Who is in the Kimberly Akimbo cast?

The cast of Kimberly Akimbo at Hampstead Theatre is to be announced. The title role is a fantastic opportunity for a seasoned musical theatre actress to demonstrate her range. The brash Aunt Debra is also a plum role for a character actress (both these roles earned Tony Awards for their originators).

Who is in the Kimberly Akimbo creative team?

Kimberly Akimbo is directed by Michael Longhurst. As well as his success with the aforementioned Caroline, or Change, Longhurst was previously artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse (2019-24), where his achievements included directing the UK premiere of Next to Normal (another contemporary American musical about complex family dynamics).

Further creatives are to be confirmed.

What are some fun facts about Kimberly Akimbo?

• David Lindsay-Abaire had the idea for the story when he asked a friend about his newborn niece and his friend responded, "Oh, she’s amazing – she’s like this little old woman trapped in a baby’s body."
• Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire previously worked together on Shrek the Musical – a very different kind of show, albeit one that's also led by a "misfit" character.
• Kimberly’s surname is Levaco, not Akimbo. The title of the show comes from the way in which “Cleverly Akimbo” is an anagram of Kimberly Levaco (anagrams play an important role in the show).
• Other musicals that feature ageing as a central theme include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Follies, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunset Boulevard, and Death Becomes Her.

Book Kimberly Akimbo tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Main photo credit: Kimberly Akimbo show logo. (Courtesy of the production). Inset: Broadway production photography. (Photos by Joan Marcus).