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Broadway

 This week, I was asked to name my three favorite musicals, and my current response seems to be: "Sweeney," "Little Shop," and "Kimberly Akimbo."


Here are a few reasons for putting "Kimberly" so high, so quickly: (1) Most art is about death, but "Kimberly" finds a new way to address the theme. How often does that happen? (2) This show begins in an intense mood, and then its sense of urgency grows and grows all the way through the final number. You can't even say that about "Hamilton." (3) This show's villains--e.g., Buddy and Pattie--are as "rounded" and even as relatable as the star. Hard to pull off.

Finally, I love that this show is about a crime. And--like just about any other crime--this one is amazingly different from its blueprint. Kimberly believes that the crime will help her to feel closer to her family. (Wrong.) Aunt Debra thinks the crime will help to send her to Hawaii. (Wrong.) Seth believes that it will be a group effort, with each conspirator shouldering a sizable part of the risk. (Also wrong.)

The writers let us know where we are headed--in a subtle way. In some cases, the first part of theft is check fraud. This would seem to be straightforward--but it's not. A dumb teenager might imagine that he doesn't need to use a glue trap in a mailbox; he can just employ his own long, skinny arm. Another teen might take the unused glue trap and affix it to her own head. And a third might forget a face mask; the fumes from the ink-dissolving solvent are stronger than you would anticipate. All of this is funny and lively--and humor is really the only thing a curtain-opening number needs to achieve--but the writing *also* says something about our confused and flawed protagonist, and it says something about human nature. We are all a mess.

Finally, the song finds a conflict between two major "poles" in this show--Debra and Seth. In a way, these two figures are fighting for Kimberly's soul. The brief standoff at the top of Act Two paves the way for one of the more surprising moments at the end of the show, the moment when Seth coolly observes, "Hey, Debra, I've just realized you're a terrible person."

I'm a sucker for a well-made play--and that's what "Kimberly Akimbo" is, underneath all the emotional stuff. Its use of twists and breadcrumbs and sleight-of-hand sometimes makes me think of Agatha Christie. And that's why I would rank it so high.

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