KIMBERLY AKIMBO

8pm, Thursday, June 26
8pm, Friday, June 27
8pm, Saturday, June 28

Riverbend Theatre Collective
at The Village Theatre
Village of East Davenport, Iowa

www.riverbendtheatrecollective.com
Tickets $10


____________________________________________________________________________

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, like so many others, writes funny plays about families and individuals, but when most writers do this kind of work, they create the conventional, "Leave It To Beaver" type of situation comedy where everything is soothingly perfect.

Not Lindsay-Abaire.

His scripts tend more toward the ribald and absurd – with a frequent spotlight on seriously skewed set of realities or a ridiculously dysfunctional family. For a television reference, think "The Jerry Springer Show" or something similar. There may be resolution, and characters may change or grow, but Lindsay-Abaire creates work that is in a realm of its own.

And such is the case with KIMBERLY AKIMBO, directed by Allison Collins-Elfline, which is the second offering from the Riverbend Theatre Collective.

Starring a wonderfully laid-back Peggy Freeman in the title role, KIMBERLY AKIMBO centers on a teenaged girl with a rare condition that causes her body to age at more than four times the usual rate. (Freeman, of course, doesn’t look 72 even with stage makeup, but we get the point just the same.) At 16, Kimberly has already reached the average life expectancy for someone with her condition, so – while facing the usual teen issues like crushes and embarrassing parents – she is also confronting mortality.

Of course, as a Lindsay-Abaire character, Kimberly is also dealing with an alcoholic father, a hypochondriac pregnant mother and a homeless aunt who is also a convicted felon.

Aaron Sullivan’s performance as Buddy, Kimberly’s dad, is terrifically nuanced, providing a loving (if unreliable) parental figure. Jaci Entwisle is Pattie, Kimberly’s shrill, dim-witted mother, and Entwisle gives the role a plaintive touch of humanity that leavens her profanity-laced outbursts and constant demands. Denise Yoder brings immense energy to the role of socially inept Aunt Debra, and her rapid-fire delivery of Debra’s many one-sided conversations just makes them all the more hilarious.

As Jeff, a fellow high school student – albeit one who has a fixation with anagrams that borders on obsession – who has a crush on Kimberly, Dustin Oliver does excellent understated work. Their interaction is often sweet, and Oliver is particularly fine in the scene where he is trying to impress Buddy. The one kiss between Kimberly and Jeff is a bit perfunctory (rather than awkward), but otherwise these two play realistic versions of shy teens very well.

Freeman’s work here is simply fantastic, showcasing her ability to inhabit a specific role and make it her own. Her moments of frustration are so completely teen, as is the profound – even writhing – embarrassment she exhibits during her father’s version of "the talk." Freeman lends Kimberly a full authenticity that makes this script work – and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable glimpse into a crazy, crazy world.

I only wish the tech for KIMBERLY AKIMBO could be as good. Robert Elfline’s sound design is great, full of musical choices that suit the material wonderfully throughout – but a too-thin white scrim with less than perfect backlighting (at least during opening weekend) gave the audience a silhouetted view of every pause, play and CD change along the way.

The pregnancy belly worn by Entwisle is too high – unless, of course, Pattie is faking the pregnancy, which it turns out she is not – providing an unnecessary distraction. While the performance space is used well, the lighting is too diffuse and not specific enough (which is likely related to the relatively sparse equipment currently in use), giving the overall show a slightly home-made look that is nowhere near on par with the superb performances we enjoy so much.

Go see this fine KIMBERLY AKIMBO for those performances, and the chance to laugh your way through a stellar script that is as unique as it is terrific. You won’t regret a single minute of it.

© 2008 – rubynancy.com