CMU School of Drama


Friday, October 28, 2022

Interview: Creating the Musical Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway

TheaterMania: It takes a village to make a musical, but that village is exactly what David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori were trying to run away from. The two writers had worked together on Shrek the Musical — a massive production even by Broadway standards — and, for their next project, wanted to do something much more compact.

1 comment:

Sidney Rubinowicz said...

It’s refreshing to see a new story on Broadway! It sounds a little bit silly, but that doesn’t take away from its substance. I am curious about the term “life-affirming” that is mentioned several times in this article; maybe just another way to say that it’s a “feel good” show. Coming from the writers of Shrek, this makes a lot of sense. Shrek the Musical is one of those shows that is assumed to be simpler than it is. I thought this too and was initially disappointed to see that my high school was putting it on. However, the music and book are very well done and while it is a technical feat, it’s a good one to explore (airbrushing makeup, special effect props, etc). I like that this article gave us some insight on how a show can make its way from a regional to Broadway production. I hope to see Kimberly Akimbo sometime and that it has a successful run!