Age is just a number. Elderly men do pull-ups, and toddlers master musical instruments.
But for Kimberly Akimbo, unconventional aging is no cause for celebration, as her unique condition pushes her to consider death before her life has really begun.
From a play in 2001 to a Tony award-winning musical in 2021, the story of Kimberly Akimbo has been a timeless tale of coming of age, identity and self-reflection. Ottawa Little Theatre brought that magic to centre stage as a five-person play — the second show of their 113th season — that will run until April 18.
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Ottawa Little Theatre regular Chelsey Prince, the play blended off-beat humour with the harsh realities of complicated family dynamics and begged its watchers to reconsider the luxuries of life expectancy.
On the verge of turning 16, Kimberly — played by Sharon Bernbaum — has grown frustrated with the neglect she feels from her parents which has become increasingly unbearable since her mother’s pregnancy.
Her father Buddy, portrayed by Sam Van Dusen, is a struggling alcoholic who cares all too much for Kim, but fails to be there for her when she needs him. Kim’s mother Pattie, portrayed by Katie Torresan, spends her days planning her baby’s mother-less future as she worries every illness is going to knock her dead in moments.
Their household, however, is much more than meets the eye. Enter in Kim’s unusual friend Jeff and zany Aunt Debra, played by Edgar Toyen and Glenys Marshall respectively, and the mysteries begin to unravel themselves.
Ironically enough, Kim was diagnosed with a progeria-like-but-not-at-all-the-same disease as a baby that causes her to age five times faster than the average person, which makes for an awkward high school experience.
Berbaum embodied this grief onstage, balancing the kiddishness that shines in every archetypal teenager with a wise perseverance that could only be found in a character so young and yet so developed.
Her banter with Van Dusen perfectly encapsulated the loving but cringeworthy angst woven into a father-daughter bond undergoing growing pains. In his monologue especially, Van Dusen’s Buddy held a tender vulnerability in his soft-spoken tone and the visibly distraught wrinkles that formed at the edges of his lips that opposed the “tough guy” demeanour that often keeps decent husbands from being good fathers.
Brought together by her father’s unfulfilling ways, Bernbaum’s Kim and Toyen’s Jeff bring something special to the stage, too. Although the ages of the actors may prevent their quirky romance from appearing completely ethical, Toyen consistently makes up for any discomfort with animated falls and rosy-cheeked eloquence.
As for Torresan’s Pattie and Marshall’s Debra, there was a likely unintentional but inescapable parallel between their acting. Marshall was loud and chaotic, the stereotypical radical feminist demanding she be valued for her contributions despite her less-than-legal strategies. Torresan was more straight-laced, but only in the self-deprecating sense, desperate for attention from her peripatetic counterparts and bursting with anxiety that could make the house erupt.
Prince’s set, hued by colours beyond the rainbow’s palette, was mesmerizingly minimal.
Contemporary musicals are known for gimmicks like revolving stages or flashy digital backgrounds, but Kimberly Akimbo excelled in manual labour. A five-person crew means a scarce 10 arms (eight, considering Pattie’s casts) to move beds, refrigerators and library walls into place yet the cast never missed the clock by a second.
Between scenes, delightfully joyous electric guitar and piano instrumentals that sounded like they came straight off of Disney Channel chimed through the theatre, reminding those young and old that it is never too late to come of age.
Oftentimes live theatre offers audiences an escape from the real world and while unrealistic plays serve their own imaginative purpose, Kimberly Akimbo is evidence that being behind a pseudonym does not mean life should be any less livable.
Featured image provided by Maria Vartanova/Ottawa Little Theatre
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