When I spoke with Ann Morrison, who’s starring in “Kimberly Akimbo” that’s coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center on May 5, she was celebrating her 70th birthday.
“I feel like a 16-year-old,” she said, “but my 70-year-old body is lagging. I remember when my dad was 88, he sat down in his chair and said, ‘I still think I’m 18, I don’t know why my body’s not responding.’ Now I understand.”
She was in Fort Lauderdale when we chatted “and we’re glad to be here. We just spent a good ten weeks in winter weather.” The national tour took them through Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.”
By the time they hit Buffalo and Rochester, they were ready for warm weather. “We never missed a show because of snow though,” she said. “Those storms followed behind us.”
“Kimberly Akimbo” tells the story of Kimberly Levaco, a 16-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder that causes her to age by four or five years for every actual year. She lives with a dysfunctional family, while she navigates trying “to make friends in high school where she looks like the lunch lady.”
Morrison started her career at a young age. “My parents were college professors in theater,” she said, “so any time they needed a young person in a show, they dragged me in, kicking and screaming. Kicking like a chorus girl, screaming like Ethel Merman.”
She’s proud to have played the original Mary Flynn in “Merrily We Roll Along” in the early 80s, working with her theater gods, Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim. “It didn’t last long,” she said, referring to that musical. “But now they’re referring to me as a legendary Broadway star. I’m just an actor who’s having fun.”
The national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo” is now in its second year, and Morrison is in her first year. “One of the producers had seen me do a documentary and said I’d be perfect for Kimberly,” she said. “I’m the kind of actor who doesn’t pursue roles. Doors will open and I just walk in.”
Morrison says this show isn’t a typical Broadway production. “Some people expect big flashy numbers,” she says. “It’s really a very intimate show. You still get that sense of intimacy in the bigger houses we’re playing.”
The show’s title comes from an anagram of Kimberly’s name, created by a neurodivergent classmate. Kimberly Levaco becomes “Cleverly Akimbo.”
There are some fun technical aspects to the show. “We have real ice skating. There’s a Polyglide floor, and we put glycerin on the skates. Professional skaters use this to practice at home.” It also snows on stage.
Morrison says the touring version differs from the Broadway version, which had animated elements that couldn’t be worked into the tour. “The genius of the road,” says Morrison, “is that the cast has to do a lot of manipulation. It’s much more theatrical.”
The show is “very real and heartfelt and funny,” says Morrison. “Kimberly remains optimistic. There’s a maturity to her. She realizes that 16 may be her life expectancy.” Morrison calls the show’s director, Jessica Stone, “a genius,” for finding such beautiful moments in the story.
In the end, the show’s message is simple. “Life is short,” says Morrison, “so just enjoy the ride.”
She urges people to just “curl up and giggle and have a good time.” There is a beautiful song at the end of the play, says Morrison, “that will absolutely bring you to tears.” She says that people are genuinely standing up at curtain call, wiping away tears.
“You can’t help but leak,” she says with a laugh.
“Kimberly Akimbo” plays at the Providence Performing Arts Center from May 5 through May 10. For tickets and information, visit www.ppacri.org or call the box office at 401.421.ARTS.
