Last night, I had the pleasure of going to see Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG)’s production of Kimberly Akimbo, a heart warming coming of age story about a young girl who ages four times faster than she should, her hypochondriac, pregnant mother, wellmeaning but drunken father, less than law abiding aunt and the boy from school who won’t leave her alone. The play, despite being written in 2000 by celebrated playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, is not often performed, particularly in Australia. The delightfully written piece of theatre has been on my list to see for a while, ever since I unfortunately missed the MTC’s season of the musical, so I went in with high hopes.
The cast rose beautifully to meet my expectations, taking complicated emotional notes, physical restraints (I’ve personally never even considered how hard it must be to act with crutches AND bandages on both hands) and specific accents into their strides. Special props must be given to Jeanne Snider who played the leading role of Kimberly. Jeanne has had the unique challenge of embracing both her inner 16 year old and her inner 60 year old and has done so with a grace and whimsy that has beautifully embodied the character to such extent that I am unwilling to posit a guess towards the actress’s true age. I would also like to applaud the efforts of returning STAGer Nathan Slevin, whose steadfast and nuanced performance provided the perfect contrast to the more extravagantly characterised roles undertaken by Emily Goode, Elise Moorhouse and Dante Filippone.
A moment of appreciation must also be given for the set. The theatre space, while small, created a cozy, homelike environment perfectly suited for this quirky little play, and the set was designed with an attention to detail that thrilled and entertained me (the Buffy the Vampire slayer posters in particular made my teenage heart sing). I’m always appreciative of a production that knows how to utilise the space they are given (especially within the penny pinching world of community theatre) and STAG’s Kimberly Akimbo is ticking that box, creating a library, a teen girl’s bedroom, a kitchen, the front seat of a car and even a safari in one small theatrette. The detail in the visuals, from the wall paper to the cereal to the costumes all came together to create a not quite harmonious setting, perfectly encapsulating the strange, overcommercialised, technicolour vibe of the millennium.
To book tickets to Kimberly Akimbo, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1528218.
Photographer: Lee Cook
