Heartfelt, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny

Winnipeg

A local theatre company is putting the spotlight on something special this spring.

Dry Cold Productions is bringing the Manitoba premiere of Kimberly Akimbo to Prairie Theatre Exchange from May 13 to 17.

Featuring a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori and a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo tells the story of 16-year-old Kimberly Levaco, who has a medical condition whereby she ages at four times the rate of the average person. While she is still a young girl at heart, she has aged into her 60s in the story.

“Her and her family have just moved to a new town, and she’s going through all the regular things a teenager would be going through in high school while navigating her condition and her somewhat troubled family life,” director Justin Stadnyk said. “The great thing about this show is how funny and yet earnest and heartfelt it is. It uses humour to talk about or confront the fragility of time. It makes us look at time in a different way.”

Debbie Maslowsky, who stars as Kimberly, agreed that the show expertly uses humour to deliver a poignant message about how fleeting life can be.

“It’s a real gem of a show. It’s brilliantly written. The dialogue is very sharp and witty, the lyrics to the songs are overwhelming how clever it is,” Maslowsky said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I look at the music, and think, ‘How do you come up with that? How did they do that?’ It’s very funny, and clever, and witty.”

Maslowsky said she is relishing the role of Kimberly, not least because of the fresh perspective her character provides to both performers and audiences alike.

“This may come as a shock to many people, but I’m not 16,” Maslowsky joked. “I’ve been thinking about her all the time, trying to sing and read it through every day. She’s a remarkable role model who keeps moving forward and you can only aspire to that.”

To prepare, Maslowsky recommended reading When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner, a rabbi whose son lived with the same degenerative disease as Kimberly.

“It talks about your relationship with God when these kind of things happen,” she said. “It’s different for everyone.”

Featuring an all-Manitoba cast of nine, Kimberly Akimbo includes veterans such as Maslowsky, who made her debut on Rainbow Stage in the 1970s, and Sarah Luby, who plays Kimberly’s mother Pattie, as well as relative musical theatre newcomers like Ben Krawchuk, who plays Kimberly’s father Buddy.

“It’s a great mix of up-and-coming talent and people who have been on some of Canada’s biggest stages, who are coming back because of how delightful the show is,” Stadnyk said. “Dry Cold does a great job of making sure Winnipeg gets to see shows like this.”

“This one really makes you think, with an incredibly supportive Manitoba cast, with a few veterans and a lot of young folks who you will be seeing more of for sure,” Maslowsky agreed. “This is a show like you’ve never seen before. This is a show that Winnipeg has never seen before. The depth of messages, the height of the comedy, and the ridiculousness of it all will be forever memorable. It will have great impact on you.”

Dry Cold Productions’ Kimberly Akimbo will be performed at the Prairie Theatre Exchange (393 Portage Ave.). Showtime is 7:30 p.m. from Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17. The show runs two hours and 25 minutes, including intermission, and is not recommended for children under the age of 12. For more information or to buy tickets, visit drycoldproductions.ca