Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International announced the acquisition of Kimberly Akimbo, the winner of the most Tony Awards of the 2022-2023 season, including Best Musical.
Kimberly Akimbo features Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Shrek the Musical), and a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek the Musical, Violet). Kimberly Akimbo was named Best Musical by the Tony Awards, New York Drama Critics Circle, The Drama Desk Awards, The Lucille Lortel Awards, and The Outer Critics Circle Awards. It is also the winner of four additional Tony Awards: Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Bonnie Milligan), Best Score (David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori), and Best Book (David Lindsay-Abaire). With her win for Kimberly Akimbo, Jeanine Tesori became the first female composer to win two Tony Awards for Best Score.
The production played at Broadway’s Booth Theatre and was directed by Jessica Stone and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen). The show was produced by David Stone, Atlantic Theater Company, James L. Nederlander, LaChanze/”>LaChanze, John Gore, Patrick Catullo and Aaron Glick.
Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” (The New Yorker), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush…and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.
“Kimberly Akimbo is an instant classic, thanks to the exceptional talents of Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire,” said Drew Cohen, President and CEO of MTI. “These two authors created a warm, funny, and deeply moving show that speaks to the teenager in all of us. We are thrilled to welcome this hit musical into the MTI catalog and look forward to seeing the show play on countless stages across the world.”
Kimberly Akimbo is beloved among audiences and critics alike, with The Hollywood Reporter proclaiming, “Meet your new favorite musical. So clever, funny and touching, you might want to give everyone on stage a hug. It’s happy-sad heaven. Do not miss it.”
Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire commented, “At its heart, Kimberly Akimbo is about making the most of whatever time we have on this planet. Our heroine craves adventure and connection and is determined to be seen as the person she truly is. Little did we know when we started working on the musical all those years ago that Kim’s hopeful spirit, humor and tenacity would send us, the writers, on a great adventure as well, taking us from an off-Broadway theater in a converted church, to a Broadway house, to the Tony Awards and, eventually, a U.S. National tour. It’s been a joyous ride on a long and wonderfully winding road, and we’re beyond thrilled that our journey on it will continue now that the show is available for licensing and will be performed in theaters all over the world.”
Additional licensing announcements from MTI about Kimberly Akimbo will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, more information can be found here.
About Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
