Tony nominee Justin Cooley will join the national tour of Kimberly Akimbo later this year. Cooley originated the role of Seth in Kimberly Akimbo Off-Broadway, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance on Broadway.
Cooley will step back into the role of Seth Weetis for the production's engagements in Las Vegas, Omaha, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and part of Detroit. Cooley will be with the production February 7–March 17. Miguel Gil, who originated the role on tour, will return to the tour March 18.
The current cast of the national tour includes three-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello (as Kimberly), Jim Hogan (Buddy), Emily Koch (Debra), Laura Woyasz (Pattie), Grace Capeless (Delia), Skye Alyssa Friedman (Teresa), Darron Hayes (Martin) and Pierce Wheeler (Aaron).
Sarah Lynn Marion, Regene Seven Odon, Marcus Phillips, Bailey Ryon and Brandon Springman are the understudies, and Valerie Wright is the Kimberly standby.
The Jeanine Tesori-David Lindsay-Abaire musical launched its North American tour September 22, 2024, and is currently in Costa Mesa, California.
READ: Carolee Carmello Thought She Was Going to Retire. The Theatre Had Other Plans
Kimberly Akimbo premiered Off-Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company before moving to Broadway in 2022, ultimately winning Best Musical at the 2023 Tony Awards. The show won five Tonys in total. Based on David Lindsay-Abaire's 2000 play of the same name, the work follows Kimberly Levaco, a New Jersey teenager with a rare disorder that causes her to age four times faster than normal. Lindsay-Abaire wrote the Tony-winning book from his earlier script, along with penning lyrics to Jeanine Tesori's music for the Tony-winning score. Victoria Clark won her second Tony for her performance in the musical's title role.
READ: Kimberly Akimbo's Victoria Clark and Justin Cooley Are 'The Same Age in Soul Years'
Jessica Stone was Tony-nominated for directing Kimberly Akimbo. Her creative team reunites for the tour, including choreographer Danny Mefford, orchestrator John Clancy (with additional orchestrations by Macy Schmidt), music supervisor Chris Fenwick, scenic designer David Zinn, costume designer Sarah Laux, lighting designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, sound designer Kai Harada, projection designer Lucy MacKinnon, and wig, hair, and make-up designer J. Jared Janas. New for the tour is music director Leigh Delano. The production is cast by The Telsey Office's Craig Burns. Shawn Pennington is serving as production stage manager.
David Stone, Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander, LaChanze, John Gore, Patrick Catullo, and Aaron Glick are producing.
Visit KimberlyAkimboTheMusical.com for a full schedule.
