Franklin, NY – Franklin Stage Company is bringing David Lindsay-Abaire’s comedy Kimberly Akimbo to Chapel Hall this summer. The play, which is different from the recent Tony-winning musical version, runs through July 20
Heidi Weeks stars as Kimberly, a teenager with a rare genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly. Weeks described the role as both physically and emotionally demanding — and unexpectedly joyful.
"It's really fun to find that youthful quality in myself, which ultimately becomes Kimberly," said Weeks. "She's rapidly aging... but it's having that divide between the thoughts of this just wonderful 16-year-old who sees the world in a whole different color and wants to have a normal teenage life, but she's battling this aging process.”
At times, Kimberly seems to be the wisest person in the room, especially when dealing with the denial of others around her. “There is this innocence about her…,” Weeks said. “She wants to experience life and her parents are just in denial of the fact that she's turning 16, and they don't want to deal with the fact that she could die any day now.”
Weeks is joined by Patricia Buckley, Franklin Stage’s Artistic Director, who plays Kimberly’s eccentric and unpredictable Aunt Deborah. Buckley describes Deborah, as “a troubled woman who comes back into the family's life” after being pushed away for past misdeeds.
“The great thing I think about Deborah and Kim is that while the parents can be a little self-involved and a little distracted, Aunt Deborah is actually very close with Kim,” said Buckley. “Of course, Deborah uses it a little bit... she uses that leverage to get Kim to do things for her that Kim probably doesn't want to do.”
Despite the serious undertones, the play is laced with humor — a signature of Lindsay-Abaire’s writing.
“He just embraces the whole absurdity of [...] the difficulty and the hilarity of everyday situations,” Buckley said. “And he really is a humanist. That's what I love about his work.”
The five-person cast also features Binghamton actor Vito Longo, Tara Giordano of Washington, D.C., and Jalen Thomas as Jeff.
Performances are scheduled Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 5:00 p.m.
For tickets and more information, visit franklinstagecompany.org.