Kimberly Akimbo returns to the Apex Lounge at Scribner’s Mountain Lodge this March in a theater in the round production by Maude Adams Theater Hub. Performances run March 26–28 in Hunter, NY, making it one of the standout Catskills theater events and top things to do in the Catskills this season.
Maude Adams Theater Hub Returns to Apex Lounge in Hunter, NY
This March the Apex Lounge at Scribner’s Mountain Lodge welcomes the return of Maude Adams Theater Hub for its second annual theater in the round production: Kimberly Akimbo. Last year’s sell-out sensation, True West, was heralded by audiences and critics alike.
What Is the Play Kimberly Akimbo About?
Kimberly Akimbo was written and staged as a play in 1990 by David Lindsay-Abaire, who was inspired by his friend’s description of a baby as “two months going on eighty.” The wheels started spinning and he imagined a teenager with a rapid aging disease (like progeria), that forces her to be the parent in her suburban New Jersey household. The Lovacos, Pattie and Buddy, are the classic stunted grownups dealing as best they can with a child that won’t outlive them. This situation results in a lot of pathos, but even more humor, as Lindsay-Abaire is quick with wit and long on situational comedy.
Hailed by The New York Times as “The comedy of the year,” they also wrote that “Kimberly Akimbo is at once a shrewd satire, a black comedy, and a heartbreaking study of how time wounds everyone.”
From Play to Tony Award–Winning Musical
A few years ago the play was adapted with the help of Jeanine Tesori (Shrek) into a musical, which was nominated for a number of Tony awards, winning five—including one for Lindsay-Abaire’s writing. As tempting as it may be to stage that version, director Amy Scheibe felt the original material held the kind of quiet magic that works well in an intimate space, in the round.
“We have a tight cast of five comedic geniuses and a minimal set that will draw the audience into the surrounding space in much the same way as it worked for True West,” Scheibe said. “The Apex is a gorgeous space that makes the experience beyond special, and the Escape Hospitality team is fantastic.”
Local acting powerhouse Jessica Gibbons steps into the titular role’s sneakers, playing a sixteen-year-old girl for the first time since she was sixteen. Cara Dantzig appears as her mom, Pattie, a very pregnant woman with a severe case of hypochondria and just a pinch of egomania. Her long-suffering husband, Buddy, is played by Brian Flynn, who knows the Apex well from helping launch True West. Rounding out the cast are the scathingly funny Molly Gaebe as Pattie’s derelict sister, Brenda, and Dungeons and Dragons expert (on stage and off) Jacob Shipley as Kimberly’s budding love interest, Jeff.
Performance Dates, Tickets & Upcoming Catskills Events
There will be three performances: Thursday, March 26 doors will open at 6:30 ($30 ticket, refreshments available for purchase), and Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28, doors will open at 6:00 for pre-show welcome cocktail and Fellow Mountain Cafe grazing tables, with dessert tables at intermission ($70 ticket, cash bar available).
The Apex Lounge at Scribner’s Mountain Lodge is located at 13 Scribner Hollow Road in Hunter, NY 12442.
For tickets, visit catskillmtn.org.
More Things to Do in the Catskills
Planning a visit? If you love theater, check out our Orpheum events for more shows and performances, or browse more shows, dance performances, and art workshops offered by the Catskill Mountain Foundation.