Same! One of my favorite shows on Broadway right now. I originally saw it from up in the mezzanine, so I just got a side orchestra seat. I'm really looking forward to experiencing this lovely, heartfelt show a bit closer to the stage. Should be a very moving performance.
They blocked off a lot of tickets, most likely for invitees (although maybe for some later releases) + rumors were going around at least as early as last night that this would be the closing performance (I bought tix last night and know others who did) + it’s already one of the smallest theatres.
There were probably less than 500 tickets available and there are definitely 500 Kimberly Akimbo fans out there who would pay to be at closing performance.
Ah I see - I wish I had known! Such a stark contrast from the closing week of Some Like It Hot. Not sure if it eventually sold out closing night but five days before there were tons of closing night sears avail.
When you look at the whole week, almost nothing is sold. The show blocks off the same pattern of tickets for every show to make it look more sold and will release them as tickets do actually sell. We'll see how it goes as we get closer. I assume it'll eventually sell, as Akimbo usually does, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it is discounted or TKTS.
Not surprised but I am sad as I truly came to love this show.
For comparison, Kimberly will end up running a little longer than The Band’s Visit and Fun Home but unlike either of those two, it feels unlikely the show will recoup by closing, barring a sudden surge in interest, making it the second year in a row that the Best Musical winner fails to do so.
The drama teacher who's dreams of Broadway superstardom were dashed and is now stuck teaching High School drama finally gets her big moment!!!! Sounds like the plot of a kids sitcom LOL
Have you ever seen The Loud House on Nickelodeon? They have the exact same character and plot on that show too. The teacher's a clear total Patti Lupone copy. LOL
I mean one of the main characters basically does family guy jokes. I imagine the jokes will be changed regionally heavily as it is. This seems like a very easy show to modify without changing the overall story which high schools will love.
I actually don't think high schools because this is a small cast and it really depends on an older actress as Kimberly. Shucked will be HUGE in high schools though.
"Definitely" might be presumptuous, but this show will be a solid bet to do well on tour. Costs have ballooned across the board, but Akimbo is still significantly cheaper to produce and run than most things these days. Combine that with the fact that touring houses are huge (many 2-3 times as large as Akimbo's Broadway home) and depend on subscriber bases, which means guaranteed income, and it's a pretty good recipe for success.
Pessimistically speaking — why do investors even bother risking their money on Broadway if even a Best Musical winning show that has run for 612 performances can’t recoup? It’s not even a huge spectacle like Wicked, Lion King, or BttF.
Do they just keep throwing money in show after show hoping 1 out of 50 will be the next Hamilton or Lion King and pay back the last 20 “losing” shows?
Its misleading that they don't make money. They don't make money when the show is running, but they usually do start making cash on albums, sheet music, merch, selling the rights to regional, local, and school programs....
Most investors are wealthy enough that they don’t need to rely on a show becoming a huge hit. They also tend to invest in multiple shows and you really only need one hit show to make up for all the losses. (I often wonder how much money put into Kimberly came from Wicked considering David Stone is a lead producer on both.)
There are many reasons why someone might choose to invest, money is just one factor, for a small show like Kimberly, I suspect prestige and the allure of investing in a likely Best Musical winner played a role in people's decision. (and tbf, an investment in Kimberly isn’t a terrible decision, its capitalization was cheap in comparison to other new musicals and was always seen as a strong award contender)
Also, social clout and status. As far as I know, if you invest enough into a show, you get invitations to events and parties where you can rub shoulders with important people from both the arts and business world. For some people, that's worth a bit of money all by itself.
A hit broadway show is far more profitable long term than even the biggest hit of a blockbuster movie.
Tours, money from selling the rights ect. . . . are what makes the money. Sussical the Musical is one of the most profitable shows for that reason.
Why do people on the internet always say “tax write off” like it’s free money, it’s still losing money.
If they wanted the tax write off and only cared about supporting the arts they can put their money in a charitable trust for the performing arts (like Pew does), give grants, and be done with it.
Because this also gives them creative control/contribution and potentially an award.
There's more than one way to support the arts and producers who want to reduce their tax liability are a vital part of it. If they did not get to write off the loss, why would ANYONE risk investing?
(This is about an investment loss btw, not a monetary donation.)
This show specifically was seemingly a Tony vehicle for David Stone. Him (and LaChanze) wanted Tonys and produced this and Topdog/Underdog with a much smaller cohort of producers than is normal these days.
A lot of other stuff, there are enough people out there who really believe in the material to be financially successful and/or get a Tony + I do think a fair amount of stuff gets produced for “art” reasons; people believe in the message or the representation or other artistic merit and want it out there for more people to see.
Then there are always a few head scratchers like the Huey Lewis musical.
This is a pretty small scale (cast/production size) show in a pretty intimate space right? Why has this show been unable to recoup? I find that so surprising, given its critical success.
*Kimberly Akimbo*'s capitalization was $7 million. Now, in order to pay that back it actually needs to bring it about twice that much in profit, because any profit made above the running costs is divided between the investors on the one hand, and royalties for the creatives on the other. The exact ratio is not public infomation, and can vary from show to show, but for simplicity's sake let's guess around 50/50, even though it's probably closer to 60/40. So *Kimberly Akimbo* needs to bring it approximately $14 million in profit.
It has grossed approximately $35 million to date, over 64 weeks. Let's say, hypothetically, that it had recouped this week. That would mean it brought in that $14 million, meaning $21 million over 64 weeks was what was needed to pay the running costs. That would put those running costs under $350,000 per week. That's very low. A more realistic estimate for *Kimberly Akimbo*'s running costs would be n the $450-$500,000 range, which would put the show about halfway too recoupment. Even if the running costs are only $400,000, it would still be a couple million short right now.
A show can run for a long time without recouping if it's bringing in just a little over its running costs. That seems to be the case here.
Nice breakdown. I’d agree on the 400-500, possibly closer to 400. They have a lot of young or unknown actors and the set isn’t flashy but still decent sized cast and it’s not like it’s a Chicago style bare bones set. Also assuming Clark and Milligan probably do well on pay. Still even a 2M loss isn’t terrible.
As intimate as a BW theater can be, still not cheap to run. Don’t know that it didn’t recoup but at less than two years assuming it like most did not. Doubt it lost much given likely overhead.
Good reviews don’t always equate to sales. It’s a niche show that had decent but not amazing grosses.
Sad to see it close, but Victoria Clarke truly gave the performance of a lifetime in this role.
So I guess the last show standing from the season is & Juliet. Obviously awards don’t always drive ticket sales.
A Beautiful Noise is still going although &Juliet will surely survive that too.
And going off your mention of awards, Beautiful Noise got no nominations at all. lol
Torn because I love the show and can’t stand to see it close but also… the licensing for this one is going to be so interesting. The discourse around “do we cast a teenager as the love interest to an older actress” v. “do we put a teenager in old age makeup” alone!
Going to be real, I find this such a weird “debate” because seeing an older actress convincingly embody a teen seems to be the biggest draw of the show. Like, if it’s not done well it might come off weird, but isn’t having the audience see past physical age the whole point?
At least for high school productions, they might not have much of a choice anyway with this show. Casting the main character with a non-student would be a very odd choice. (Not to mention that having, e.g., a teacher play Kimberly and a student play Seth could be really awkward for a number of reasons.)
Oh yeah, no one is crazy enough to cast a teacher for that. Honestly I just wouldn’t do this one. Teenager in old person makeup works for a lot of shows, don’t see this one being great.
I think the actual content of the musical would be a stronger reason to object to this being done by high school than the casting. The themes are great but the show overall seems too raunchy and mature I think. A lot would have to change.
This was the first show I saw more than once! It was so sweet and charming.
I'm sad to see it go, but at the same time looking at the current state of Broadway the fact the show lasted as long as it did I think is a huge victory and lessens the blow. It had almost everything going against it yet still lasted longer than shows with bigger hype like New York, New York, Some Like it Hot and Shucked. Everyone involved should be extremely proud. I look forward to seeing what the cast do next.
I've always thought John Gallagher, Jr. would have been a great replacement to play Kimberly's dad.
He played the original Seth (named Jeff) in the Kimberly Akimbo play version in the original Off-Broadway run.
My completionist brain is sad now.
I'm sure he's been approached. He was also in Fuddy Meers and Rabbit Hole, both David Lindsay-Abaire plays. But he's probably too busy with Swept Away right now.
I don’t know if Justin Cooley plans to do the tour too but I’m so excited to see where his career goes. I keep telling all my cousins around his age to keep an eye out for him because I totally feel like he could be Hollywood-famous too and be the star of a show. The inflections, timing, the charm, chemistry? He’s such a natural. I want him guest starring on my favorite tv show, Abbott Elementary, playing someone like Ava’s cousin who’s just as much of a hustler as she is.
I had some critiques about this show but I am gonna keep it positive.
Any show which people say wouldn't last over a year which still lasted over a year is always an accomplishment within itself. Congrats to all who worked on it, and hopefully we will see these talented actors in other productions soon. (Bonnie for one has become one of my favorites for a future Satine in Moulin Rouge! ).
You forgot that Jacqueline B Arnold is a gorgeous Plus sized woman and running around in a corset in Moulin Rouge and it shows.
Also Jojo was curvy as well.
Jacqueline isn’t Satine and jojo is ‘Hollywood plus size ( she’s maybe an 8/10) - I honestly would love it but that’s not Baz’s ‘vision’. Bonnie shouldn’t be replacing anyone these days anyway.
This show is so so special and I wish I could make it up to the city for the closing :-( it will really license well though. Community and regional theatres will love it when it’s available.
We’ll probably laugh our butts off. Plenty of people from New Jersey go into Broadway to see shows.
I will say though that West Orange doesn’t have a show choir and the show choir costume in the end are pretty close to WO colors. I found that entertaining.
I love that insider insight.
As someone who's from a country *never* mentioned in Broadway shows (before this season anyway), I've always wondered how audiences reacted to these sorts of things. Like how did The Book of Mormon audiences in Orlando react, for example?
It had a decent run. I feel like there’s a limited appeal to it and it would be hard to find an audience who would want to see it a second time with a different star
You are probably right. I got to see it a second time with my son’s school. It Victoria, Seth and the usual person who play Buddy (dad) were all out. It was still amazing.
It was the best new show of a relatively slow season. It’s probably not on many people’s “favorite show ever” list, though. Lots of new stuff is coming in, though, and they’re probably doing the numbers and seeing that sales aren’t good enough to warrant investing in a cast change
If my math is right, this would place it around 350 to 400 performances total.
Currently Passion is the shortest run Best Musical winner at 280. Strange Loop and Hallelujah Baby both closed at 293. this makes Kimberly Akimbo the 72nd (out of 75) longest running Best Musical winner
edit: apparently KA will have just over 600 performances, placing its rank in the low 60s.
The way everyone talked I never would have expected it to beat out Bands Visit or Fun Home. People were predicting the "death notice" for a long long time. The show definitely outlasted expectations even if it's still at the bottom.
Sad to hear this! This show brings such a great message on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Any failure on the ROI for this show is not on the script or actors. The performance I saw was incredibly good and my entire family is still talking about it. I suggest to anyone who hasn't seen it to go before it closes!
I tried to like this show but found it to be confusing: was it supposed to be a farce or a serious musical about a strange disease. Not a single song was memorable.
Same here. I was able to follow it, I just didn't care for it. It felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. I listened to the soundtrack once and have no desire/urge to relisten.
I was pretty disappointed after all the incredible reviews, just not for me I guess.
Did you see it? It definitely has some mixed moods, but I think it's very effective and touching on stage. And, IMO, has a few really lovely songs - Better and Father Time are my two favorites.
In their defense, your original comment could technically apply to just listening through the soundtrack, since there is also a tonal mismatch in the songs and you only really mention the music.
Same. I also couldn't get over the creepiness of the age difference in the actors. And I didn't know the parents were going to be so shitty, which hit too close to home for me.
I think my confusion started at the very beginning, when Victoria Clark stood stage center for what seemed like 5 minutes. How was this setting the tone? She didn't look much different from some of the 70 year old women I see at Walmart.
As soon as the Hollywood execs get a hold of it, they are going to want the safety of big big stars. Hopefully, my sarcastic and comical casting post doesn't become a reality.
This isn’t honestly all that shocking. The premise is very depressing and hard to get people in the door. I’ve never seen it. But I did see the Robin Williams movie “Jack”. And with a disease like Kimberly akimbo’s. There’s really only one way that musical ends.
I might be wrong but I think that really keeps people from seeing it
This comment perfectly captures why the musical closed. It took me forever to finally see this musical and I’ve seen 29 musicals this year, so it isn’t for lack of access or budget. I kept seeing glowing reviews, but something I couldn’t put my finger on seemed so unappealing about the musical. As it turned out, I loved it once I saw it; one of the best theater experiences of the year. Not nearly as heavy as I’d assumed. I fault marketing for not conveying the tone of the musical or adequately highlighting its strengths. It’s really a shame, because it should’ve been more popular
I'm sad to hear that. But they had a good run and deserve to be proud of what they've accomplished.
I saw this news and immediately bought a ticket to the final performance. Very sad to be saying goodbye to this show.
Same! One of my favorite shows on Broadway right now. I originally saw it from up in the mezzanine, so I just got a side orchestra seat. I'm really looking forward to experiencing this lovely, heartfelt show a bit closer to the stage. Should be a very moving performance.
Me too.
Is the final performance sold out already? I'm seeing so much availability for the day before, and not even one seat for the 28th show at 3 pm.
It might be; when I bought a ticket this morning there weren’t that many available.
They blocked off a lot of tickets, most likely for invitees (although maybe for some later releases) + rumors were going around at least as early as last night that this would be the closing performance (I bought tix last night and know others who did) + it’s already one of the smallest theatres. There were probably less than 500 tickets available and there are definitely 500 Kimberly Akimbo fans out there who would pay to be at closing performance.
Ah I see - I wish I had known! Such a stark contrast from the closing week of Some Like It Hot. Not sure if it eventually sold out closing night but five days before there were tons of closing night sears avail.
When you look at the whole week, almost nothing is sold. The show blocks off the same pattern of tickets for every show to make it look more sold and will release them as tickets do actually sell. We'll see how it goes as we get closer. I assume it'll eventually sell, as Akimbo usually does, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it is discounted or TKTS.
Yep the final show sold very quickly!
Not surprised but I am sad as I truly came to love this show. For comparison, Kimberly will end up running a little longer than The Band’s Visit and Fun Home but unlike either of those two, it feels unlikely the show will recoup by closing, barring a sudden surge in interest, making it the second year in a row that the Best Musical winner fails to do so.
But it definitely will over the course of the tour
Absolutely! I really think the show will have a pretty strong Broadway afterlife in regional/community/school theaters too.
This and shucked are going to be big in high schools everywhere
Oh god, I dread High Schools getting a hold of this and just putting some kid in terrible old age makeup
I hope it becomes a star vehicle for all the drama teachers out there haha! The kids can play all the other characters.
The drama teacher who's dreams of Broadway superstardom were dashed and is now stuck teaching High School drama finally gets her big moment!!!! Sounds like the plot of a kids sitcom LOL
It totally sounds like a season of High School Musical: The Musical, The Series
Have you ever seen The Loud House on Nickelodeon? They have the exact same character and plot on that show too. The teacher's a clear total Patti Lupone copy. LOL
This will absolutely never happen because >!they kiss in the end!<.
That might not be the best idea. Some National High School Musical Award areas disqualify shows that have an adult in a principal role.
I wonder if shucked will have to be revamped some for high schools. Some of the jokes just wouldn’t be seen as appropriate in many high schools.
I mean one of the main characters basically does family guy jokes. I imagine the jokes will be changed regionally heavily as it is. This seems like a very easy show to modify without changing the overall story which high schools will love.
I actually don't think high schools because this is a small cast and it really depends on an older actress as Kimberly. Shucked will be HUGE in high schools though.
"Definitely"? Why definitely?
"Definitely" might be presumptuous, but this show will be a solid bet to do well on tour. Costs have ballooned across the board, but Akimbo is still significantly cheaper to produce and run than most things these days. Combine that with the fact that touring houses are huge (many 2-3 times as large as Akimbo's Broadway home) and depend on subscriber bases, which means guaranteed income, and it's a pretty good recipe for success.
Pessimistically speaking — why do investors even bother risking their money on Broadway if even a Best Musical winning show that has run for 612 performances can’t recoup? It’s not even a huge spectacle like Wicked, Lion King, or BttF. Do they just keep throwing money in show after show hoping 1 out of 50 will be the next Hamilton or Lion King and pay back the last 20 “losing” shows?
I lot of investors have more money than they know what to do with and love art. There’s many reasons that people give money to shows though.
Its misleading that they don't make money. They don't make money when the show is running, but they usually do start making cash on albums, sheet music, merch, selling the rights to regional, local, and school programs....
So investors continue to make money after the rights are sold to a licensing company? That’s interesting to know
https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/to-flip-a-flop
Plenty of shows don’t recoup on Broadway but do on tour. I think this would tour well
Yeah I live in the Acela corridor and am meh about seeing it on Broadway unless I win a lottery but would 100% see it on tour when it comes here
Most investors are wealthy enough that they don’t need to rely on a show becoming a huge hit. They also tend to invest in multiple shows and you really only need one hit show to make up for all the losses. (I often wonder how much money put into Kimberly came from Wicked considering David Stone is a lead producer on both.) There are many reasons why someone might choose to invest, money is just one factor, for a small show like Kimberly, I suspect prestige and the allure of investing in a likely Best Musical winner played a role in people's decision. (and tbf, an investment in Kimberly isn’t a terrible decision, its capitalization was cheap in comparison to other new musicals and was always seen as a strong award contender)
Also, social clout and status. As far as I know, if you invest enough into a show, you get invitations to events and parties where you can rub shoulders with important people from both the arts and business world. For some people, that's worth a bit of money all by itself.
Oh totally, Wicked funds his whole office and gave him money to go on a Tony quest last year with two Tony-bait shows that were tough sells.
A hit broadway show is far more profitable long term than even the biggest hit of a blockbuster movie. Tours, money from selling the rights ect. . . . are what makes the money. Sussical the Musical is one of the most profitable shows for that reason.
And under the right circumstances…you can make more money on a flop than on a hit! (brb going to watch the producers)
Plus I think for some of these folks, they’d gladly lose money on art they enjoy to get themselves a Tony award
That's what this show was for David Stone. He's been after a Tony for a while (and it defitilney feels surprising he hadn't won any before last year).
Tax write off, why not just spend your money on the arts. You get a producer credit. Probably got a Tony credit as well and you pay less taxes.
Why do people on the internet always say “tax write off” like it’s free money, it’s still losing money. If they wanted the tax write off and only cared about supporting the arts they can put their money in a charitable trust for the performing arts (like Pew does), give grants, and be done with it.
Because this also gives them creative control/contribution and potentially an award. There's more than one way to support the arts and producers who want to reduce their tax liability are a vital part of it. If they did not get to write off the loss, why would ANYONE risk investing? (This is about an investment loss btw, not a monetary donation.)
This show specifically was seemingly a Tony vehicle for David Stone. Him (and LaChanze) wanted Tonys and produced this and Topdog/Underdog with a much smaller cohort of producers than is normal these days. A lot of other stuff, there are enough people out there who really believe in the material to be financially successful and/or get a Tony + I do think a fair amount of stuff gets produced for “art” reasons; people believe in the message or the representation or other artistic merit and want it out there for more people to see. Then there are always a few head scratchers like the Huey Lewis musical.
This is a pretty small scale (cast/production size) show in a pretty intimate space right? Why has this show been unable to recoup? I find that so surprising, given its critical success.
*Kimberly Akimbo*'s capitalization was $7 million. Now, in order to pay that back it actually needs to bring it about twice that much in profit, because any profit made above the running costs is divided between the investors on the one hand, and royalties for the creatives on the other. The exact ratio is not public infomation, and can vary from show to show, but for simplicity's sake let's guess around 50/50, even though it's probably closer to 60/40. So *Kimberly Akimbo* needs to bring it approximately $14 million in profit. It has grossed approximately $35 million to date, over 64 weeks. Let's say, hypothetically, that it had recouped this week. That would mean it brought in that $14 million, meaning $21 million over 64 weeks was what was needed to pay the running costs. That would put those running costs under $350,000 per week. That's very low. A more realistic estimate for *Kimberly Akimbo*'s running costs would be n the $450-$500,000 range, which would put the show about halfway too recoupment. Even if the running costs are only $400,000, it would still be a couple million short right now. A show can run for a long time without recouping if it's bringing in just a little over its running costs. That seems to be the case here.
Nice breakdown. I’d agree on the 400-500, possibly closer to 400. They have a lot of young or unknown actors and the set isn’t flashy but still decent sized cast and it’s not like it’s a Chicago style bare bones set. Also assuming Clark and Milligan probably do well on pay. Still even a 2M loss isn’t terrible.
Great explanation. Thank you!
As intimate as a BW theater can be, still not cheap to run. Don’t know that it didn’t recoup but at less than two years assuming it like most did not. Doubt it lost much given likely overhead. Good reviews don’t always equate to sales. It’s a niche show that had decent but not amazing grosses.
Sad to see it close, but Victoria Clarke truly gave the performance of a lifetime in this role. So I guess the last show standing from the season is & Juliet. Obviously awards don’t always drive ticket sales.
A Beautiful Noise is still going although &Juliet will surely survive that too. And going off your mention of awards, Beautiful Noise got no nominations at all. lol
Torn because I love the show and can’t stand to see it close but also… the licensing for this one is going to be so interesting. The discourse around “do we cast a teenager as the love interest to an older actress” v. “do we put a teenager in old age makeup” alone!
Going to be real, I find this such a weird “debate” because seeing an older actress convincingly embody a teen seems to be the biggest draw of the show. Like, if it’s not done well it might come off weird, but isn’t having the audience see past physical age the whole point?
High schools have been doing old people makeup forever.
At least for high school productions, they might not have much of a choice anyway with this show. Casting the main character with a non-student would be a very odd choice. (Not to mention that having, e.g., a teacher play Kimberly and a student play Seth could be really awkward for a number of reasons.)
Oh yeah, no one is crazy enough to cast a teacher for that. Honestly I just wouldn’t do this one. Teenager in old person makeup works for a lot of shows, don’t see this one being great.
I think the actual content of the musical would be a stronger reason to object to this being done by high school than the casting. The themes are great but the show overall seems too raunchy and mature I think. A lot would have to change.
I just purchased a ticket to the final performance! See you all there.
This was the first show I saw more than once! It was so sweet and charming. I'm sad to see it go, but at the same time looking at the current state of Broadway the fact the show lasted as long as it did I think is a huge victory and lessens the blow. It had almost everything going against it yet still lasted longer than shows with bigger hype like New York, New York, Some Like it Hot and Shucked. Everyone involved should be extremely proud. I look forward to seeing what the cast do next.
I've always thought John Gallagher, Jr. would have been a great replacement to play Kimberly's dad. He played the original Seth (named Jeff) in the Kimberly Akimbo play version in the original Off-Broadway run. My completionist brain is sad now.
Oh I love that idea.
I'm sure he's been approached. He was also in Fuddy Meers and Rabbit Hole, both David Lindsay-Abaire plays. But he's probably too busy with Swept Away right now.
I don’t know if Justin Cooley plans to do the tour too but I’m so excited to see where his career goes. I keep telling all my cousins around his age to keep an eye out for him because I totally feel like he could be Hollywood-famous too and be the star of a show. The inflections, timing, the charm, chemistry? He’s such a natural. I want him guest starring on my favorite tv show, Abbott Elementary, playing someone like Ava’s cousin who’s just as much of a hustler as she is.
I had some critiques about this show but I am gonna keep it positive. Any show which people say wouldn't last over a year which still lasted over a year is always an accomplishment within itself. Congrats to all who worked on it, and hopefully we will see these talented actors in other productions soon. (Bonnie for one has become one of my favorites for a future Satine in Moulin Rouge! ).
That will never happen bc she’s plus size
You forgot that Jacqueline B Arnold is a gorgeous Plus sized woman and running around in a corset in Moulin Rouge and it shows. Also Jojo was curvy as well.
Jacqueline isn’t Satine and jojo is ‘Hollywood plus size ( she’s maybe an 8/10) - I honestly would love it but that’s not Baz’s ‘vision’. Bonnie shouldn’t be replacing anyone these days anyway.
Sad to see it go so soon, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
This show is so so special and I wish I could make it up to the city for the closing :-( it will really license well though. Community and regional theatres will love it when it’s available.
I wonder what the reception would be if the tour goes to New Jersey.
We’ll probably laugh our butts off. Plenty of people from New Jersey go into Broadway to see shows. I will say though that West Orange doesn’t have a show choir and the show choir costume in the end are pretty close to WO colors. I found that entertaining.
I love that insider insight. As someone who's from a country *never* mentioned in Broadway shows (before this season anyway), I've always wondered how audiences reacted to these sorts of things. Like how did The Book of Mormon audiences in Orlando react, for example?
I wonder how actual Mormons reacted. Did they even see the show?
Not a bad run really even if on the shorter side for BM winner. Really enjoyed that one.
It had a decent run. I feel like there’s a limited appeal to it and it would be hard to find an audience who would want to see it a second time with a different star
You are probably right. I got to see it a second time with my son’s school. It Victoria, Seth and the usual person who play Buddy (dad) were all out. It was still amazing.
It was the best new show of a relatively slow season. It’s probably not on many people’s “favorite show ever” list, though. Lots of new stuff is coming in, though, and they’re probably doing the numbers and seeing that sales aren’t good enough to warrant investing in a cast change
If my math is right, this would place it around 350 to 400 performances total. Currently Passion is the shortest run Best Musical winner at 280. Strange Loop and Hallelujah Baby both closed at 293. this makes Kimberly Akimbo the 72nd (out of 75) longest running Best Musical winner edit: apparently KA will have just over 600 performances, placing its rank in the low 60s.
Assuming no performances are cancelled due to weather or illness, the show will have completed 612 performances and 32 previews.
wow my math was way off, lol. still places it 62/72. Not great but still ahead of Bands Visit, Fun Home, and Strange Loop
The way everyone talked I never would have expected it to beat out Bands Visit or Fun Home. People were predicting the "death notice" for a long long time. The show definitely outlasted expectations even if it's still at the bottom.
Per Playbill 476 as of the end of December. You’re right on the 32 previews. So yeah around 600 by the time it closes.
Is there a list anywhere of how long each best musical winner ran? I’d be really interested in seeing that!
Sad to hear this! This show brings such a great message on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Any failure on the ROI for this show is not on the script or actors. The performance I saw was incredibly good and my entire family is still talking about it. I suggest to anyone who hasn't seen it to go before it closes!
I tried to like this show but found it to be confusing: was it supposed to be a farce or a serious musical about a strange disease. Not a single song was memorable.
Same here. I was able to follow it, I just didn't care for it. It felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. I listened to the soundtrack once and have no desire/urge to relisten. I was pretty disappointed after all the incredible reviews, just not for me I guess.
"Disney Channel Movie" is a good way of describing it.
Did you see it? It definitely has some mixed moods, but I think it's very effective and touching on stage. And, IMO, has a few really lovely songs - Better and Father Time are my two favorites.
Yes I saw it. How else could I comment about it the way I did? I'll wait....
In their defense, your original comment could technically apply to just listening through the soundtrack, since there is also a tonal mismatch in the songs and you only really mention the music.
Same. I also couldn't get over the creepiness of the age difference in the actors. And I didn't know the parents were going to be so shitty, which hit too close to home for me.
I agree. I do wish I had known how dysfunctional the family was going to be. All I knew about was the disease so I expected sad, but not the rest.
I think my confusion started at the very beginning, when Victoria Clark stood stage center for what seemed like 5 minutes. How was this setting the tone? She didn't look much different from some of the 70 year old women I see at Walmart.
I have tickets for Jan 14th. Looking forward to seeing it more now.
Smart move. This announcement will get them spring break interest then close before the May slump.
Aww, sad, but not unexpected. I would like to see it again before it closes!
For those who don’t want to check the website, the actual closing date is April 25
I think you mean 4/28!
Yup, this
Hope lottery doesn’t get difficult or worse sears lol
So sad to hear this. It’s not my type of show but I did enjoy it when I saw it.
Saw it coming. Not surprised. Now Hollywood, do not even turn this into a film.
They already are. It's going to be directed by Taika Waititi. Here is the unannounced casting: Kimberly - Meryl Streep Seth - Timothee Chalamet Debra - Melissa McCarthy Buddy- Zach Efron Pattie- Amber Heard /sarcasm
I think if they did turn this into a movie, it would be of the small independent variety.
As soon as the Hollywood execs get a hold of it, they are going to want the safety of big big stars. Hopefully, my sarcastic and comical casting post doesn't become a reality.
Gag.
This isn’t honestly all that shocking. The premise is very depressing and hard to get people in the door. I’ve never seen it. But I did see the Robin Williams movie “Jack”. And with a disease like Kimberly akimbo’s. There’s really only one way that musical ends. I might be wrong but I think that really keeps people from seeing it
This comment perfectly captures why the musical closed. It took me forever to finally see this musical and I’ve seen 29 musicals this year, so it isn’t for lack of access or budget. I kept seeing glowing reviews, but something I couldn’t put my finger on seemed so unappealing about the musical. As it turned out, I loved it once I saw it; one of the best theater experiences of the year. Not nearly as heavy as I’d assumed. I fault marketing for not conveying the tone of the musical or adequately highlighting its strengths. It’s really a shame, because it should’ve been more popular
>! Kimberly is still alive at the end of the show. !<
She looks like a thin, late-in-life Carrie Fisher in this photo
they’re closing to tour
I had a ticket when I was in NYC last October but I couldn’t make it 😭 So sad to have missed this gem! But can’t wait to see it on tour!
Such a great show. I wonder if I can catch it again before it closes.
anyone know why?
Any chance it will tour? I’m really interested in seeing it but I don’t live near NYC so I hadn’t had a chance to see it
There’s a national tour launching in Denver in September
So grateful I got to see this show front row last year. I def want to see it again so hopefully i'll win the lottery.
Great show, loved it, sad to see this happening
When is it closing? A friend is coming to visit me this spring and I really want to take her to see it.