The reviews are in for Kimberly Akimbo, the five-time Tony Award-winning musical by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori, which has finally reached this side of the Atlantic at the Hampstead Theatre in a production directed by Michael Longhurst. Maria Friedman plays Kimberly Levaco, a sixteen-year-old with a rare genetic condition that ages her four times faster than everyone around her, and whose criminally minded aunt drags her and her schoolfriends into a cheque-washing scam. The critics have come back delighted – the show’s wit, Soutra Gilmour’s revolving set and the double act of Gilli Jones’s Seth and Alice Fearn’s outrageous Aunt Debra draw praise almost everywhere – though they part company over how deeply the evening digs into the darkness underneath, and over how far Friedman’s casting against age carries the illusion.
The verdict: ten reviews in so far – three five-star notices, five four-star, and two outlets that publish no rating. Among those that do score, the average is 4.4 out of 5, and every one of them finds room to praise the cast, with Alice Fearn’s Aunt Debra and Gilli Jones’s Seth singled out again and again.
What are critics saying about Kimberly Akimbo?
London Box Office
Reviewer: Stuart King
More than anything, it is the overwhelmingly positive and upbeat energy which emanates from every cast member that elevates this show from mere humdrum fluff, to something altogether more special. It counts for a great deal and makes for an irresistible combination together with catchy songs and the underplaying of serious familial issues which therefore never descend into tedious melodrama.
All That Dazzles
“The Broadway musical gets its long-awaited European premiere in a life-affirming and joyous show”
Reviewer: Daz Gale
I didn’t think joyous was a word I would use to describe a story such as this, but that is what is at the heart of the story. It also helps that it is wickedly funny as well, with hilarious one-liners and absurd situations causing me to break into hysterics repeatedly throughout. It isn’t low-hanging fruit, however, with great care taken into each line to ensure this is comedy with intelligence. The entire script benefits from that, coming across as elegant and exquisite, full of meticulous details and jokes that earn their ultimate payoff, causing a faultless hit rate. The appearance of a clock may remind us that time is running out, particularly for Kimberly, but the show never wants us to forget that life is for living and to make every second count. A show that carries a worthy and important message that elevates it from simply being an entertaining watch - something it certainly is as well.
Theatre and Tonic
Reviewer: Amelia
Alice Fearn is a marvel as Debra, in a role unlike anything I’ve ever seen her do, and it’s wonderful! Her comedic timing is spot on, and the way she sings the score is stellar. She completely throws herself into the character, bringing so much energy and personality to every moment, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.
The Standard
“Witty musical about a teen with an ageing disorder”
Reviewer: Nick Curtis
There’s also a rogue, sociopathic aunt Debra (Alice Fearn, in a turn that would be a show-stealer if Friedman and Gilli Jones as the young male lead Seth weren’t so strong). Kimberly’s classmates seem generally accepting but it falls to her to cover their gaucheries around her condition. On every front, she’s compelled to be older than her years.
The Independent
“Quirky American musical manages to mine comedy from a strange, bleak premise”
Reviewer: Louis Chilton
Shows like this often live and die by the music, and there is much to enjoy about Tesori’s score, and Lindsay-Abaire’s lyrics, which are never really intricate (beyond the odd internal rhyme) or profound, but consistently lively and well-judged. The music is a cut above most modern musicals, tempering the sort of bright, generically popish sound of its bigger numbers with more classical musical-theatre forms elsewhere.
WhatsOnStage
“Maria Friedman stars in the European premiere of the five-time Tony Award-winning musical”
Reviewer: Sarah Crompton
Soutra Gilmour sets the New Jersey scene with a slightly cumbersome revolving set, that incorporates a three-storey house, an ice rink, a high school and a garage (complete with car). In this space that represents her life, Friedman wisely underplays the teenage mannerisms, trusting a range of T-shirts and an adolescent stomp to create the sense of a child in an adult’s body. She relies on her voice, and Tesori’s flexible, subtle music to create the sense of someone who is struggling to make the best of everything against incredible odds.
London Theatre
“Maria Friedman leads a superb production of this quirky, life-affirming musical”
Reviewer: Marianka Swain
Gilli Jones gives a gorgeous performance as nerdy Seth, who loves anagrams, Tolkein, and, in a great sight gag, is constantly dwarfed by his giant tuba case, but whose unusual perspective means he sees Kimberly differently – to her delight. Alice Fearn, meanwhile, has a ball as the outrageously sleazy Debra, who hits the show like a tornado. She gets the best number too, the riotous “Better” (backed up, naturally, by the show choir), though Tesori’s score also features wistful beauties like “Make A Wish” and “Father Time”.
Theatre Weekly
“A beautifully judged and utterly life-affirming musical”
Reviewer: Greg Stewart
At the centre of it all is Maria Friedman in the title role. It’s a brave performance that asks both actor and audience to continually navigate the tension between Kimberly’s chronological age and physical appearance. There are moments when that balance wobbles, and you become aware of an older performer playing younger. Yet Friedman’s skill ultimately carries the day. She captures Kimberly’s yearning, awkwardness, intelligence and resilience with remarkable precision, ensuring we never lose sight of the teenager beneath the condition.
Production photographs by Marc Brenner.
LouReviews
Reviewer: Louise Penn
The ending made me think a bit of Little Miss Sunshine‘s musical treatment in its upbeat nature, but it at least leaves the audience heading out to Swiss Cottage with a spring in their step.
If you are expecting a focused dramatic exploration of illness and neglect, Kimberly Akimbo isn’t it. What it offers is exaggeration, puns, and how to make the best of the time you are given.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Tom Wicker, four stars, “Utterly earwormy score”), whose review sits behind a paywall.
If you are catching up on the autumn openings, we have also rounded up the critics on Jane Eyre at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, A Month in the Country at the Donmar Warehouse and The Story at the National Theatre. You can also see the first production images from this staging, and hear the company’s first listen to “Great Adventure”.
Kimberly Akimbo is booking at the Hampstead Theatre until 7 November 2026.
