Music & Culture

Kimberly Akimbo: Tiny Desk Concert

by Josh Rogosin

Cast members, musicians, and the composer of the Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo perform a Tiny Desk concert May 1, 2023, at NPR headquarters in Washingotn, D.C.
Michael Zamora / NPR
Cast members, musicians, and the composer of the Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo perform a Tiny Desk concert May 1, 2023, at NPR headquarters in Washingotn, D.C.

The day before the 2023 Tony nominations were announced, the cast, band and composer of the musical Kimberly Akimbo climbed out of their bus and shuffled behind the Tiny Desk. That's no easy feat for nine cast members, four bandmates and a composer wielding a glockenspiel.

Kimberly Akimbo (with title character played by Broadway star Victoria Clark) is a coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old girl with a rare genetic disease, which causes her to age four times faster than normal. The show is funny, sad and uplifting all at once. It's a family affair with songs sung by Kimberly's aunt, parents, love interest and friends.

For the transfer to the Tiny Desk, composer Jeanine Tesori led the audience through a playlist of four standout musical numbers, making sure to shout out her collaborator, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. After opening with Bonnie Milligan's Tony-nominated performance of "Better," Tesori asked her cast and band to introduce themselves. Justin Cooley, who plays Kimberly's first crush, could not make it to the Desk. The composer-turned-emcee used the opportunity to thank all understudies who work tirelessly to ensure that the show must go on — even at a desk in a Washington, D.C. office.

SET LIST

  • "Better"

  • "Anagram"

  • "Father Time"

  • "Great Adventure" 

CAST

  • Steven Boyer

  • Victoria Clark 

  • Miguel Gil

  • Olivia Elease Hardy 

  • Fernell Hogan

  • Michael Iskander

  • Alli Mauzey

  • Bonnie Milligan

  • Nina White 

MUSICIANS

  • Jeanine Tesori: composer, glockenspiel

  • Chris Fenwick: piano

  • Andrew Zinmeister: guitar, ukulele

  • Shannon Ford: percussion

  • Jeff Allen: upright bass

TINY DESK TEAM

  • Producer: Josh Rogosin

  • Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant

  • Audio Engineers: Josh Rogosin, Neil Tevault

  • Creative Director: Bob Boilen

  • Series Producer: Bobby Carter

  • Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Elizabeth Gillis, Sofia Seidel

  • Audio Assistant: Josephine Nyouani

  • Production Assistant: Michael Zamora

  • Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Maia Stern, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer

  • VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

  • Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

300x250 Ad

300x250 Ad

Support quality journalism, like the story above, with your gift right now.

Donate