Panel Introduction & Housekeeping

• Mike Abrams moderating panel for Kimberly Akimbo Broadway musical
• Show currently playing at Booth Theater in New York City
• Story: lonely teenage girl Kimberly Lavaca with aging condition, appears elderly
• Must navigate family secrets, borderline personalities, possible felony charges
• Panel format: performances, moderated Q&A, audience questions with two mics

Performance 1: Justin Cooley - "Good Kid"

• Justin plays Seth, making Broadway debut
• Song performed in predicament with Kimberly's Aunt, accompanying crime
• Lyrics about being good kid vs. brother's troublemaking
• References: nunchucks, chess, cleaning mess, eating peas/carrots
• Mother's death promise to be good, father smoking/pacing, brother in rehab
• Theme: what has being good gotten him

Performance 2: Ali Muzzey - "Father Time"

• Ali plays Kimberly's pregnant mom Patty
• Song sung to unborn child
• Lyrics pleading with Father Time to slow down, hold back night
• References: baby's heavy eyes, deep breath, wanting to baby her child
• Themes: time scarcity, maternal protection, prayer for more time

Creative Team Introductions

• Jessica Stone (director), Dave Valencia, Bear, Janine Satori (composer)
• Ali Muzzey and Justin Cooley (performers)

Original Concept Development

• David: Original play older than Kimberly's character age in show
• Seed idea: friend described baby niece as "wise old woman trapped in baby's body"
• Baby became teenager in David's mind
• Wrote for actress Mary Louise Burke (older actress for 16-year-old role)
• Vicki Clark now plays role

Musical Adaptation Process

• Janine and David previously collaborated on Shrek
• Janine suggested adapting one of David's plays
• Deep/funny exploration of old vs. young, who we were/will be
• Advantage: writing musical with playwright in room

Play vs. Musical Differences

• David: 20 years later revisiting material, changed as person/craftsman
• Play: characters expressed internal through subtext, needed good actors
• Musical: "crack hearts open and let them sing" - new toolbox
• Deeper character exploration, completely different storytelling
• Same bones but different animal

Director's Perspective

• Jessica: heard about adaptation at breakfast, immediate "bolt of lightning" reaction
• Advantage: having playwright in room as resource
• Can ask "what did you mean then, what do you want now"

Atlantic to Broadway Transition

• 8-month gap between Atlantic run and Broadway rehearsals
• Ali: exciting but scary, adrenaline/hype from initial run
• New things to explore, old things to maintain
• Team check-in on direction while maintaining show's heart
• More pressure on Broadway but creative process stayed same

Creative Team Broadway Adjustments

• David: terrifying because show did so well, didn't want to break it
• Realized improvements possible after seeing audience reaction
• Opportunity to sharpen, clarify, give characters more agency
• Upgrade B plus songs to A minus
• Always could revert if changes didn't work

Physical Production Changes

• Jessica: Atlantic had no fly space, traps, wings, tricks
• Broadway space allowed sense of expansion/contraction
• Character could feel trapped then break out
• Physical breathing room vs. Atlantic limitations

Balancing Humor and Serious Themes

• Janine: from Long Island, David from Southie - know these people
• Every family theatrical production, humor around dinner table
• Want people they grew up with center stage in musical theater
• High concept (life's temporary/ephemeral) + low concept (family felonies)
• Musical theater can be choosy about who sings - wants broader representation

Sensibility and Tone

• David: working class background, horrible things happened
• Laughter as coping mechanism for tragedy
• Tragedy/comedy live right next to each other naturally
• Not trying to balance - just know the sensibility
• Something so sad it's funny, so funny it's sad

Performance Challenges

• Ali: emotionally fatiguing but positive ups/downs
• Goes home, goes to bed immediately after 8 shows/week
• Actor's job: commit to writing, not judge if funny
• Justin: hard to get hold of because so real
• Want to chase character feelings, dig deeper
• Rooted in reality, find new places to laugh/cry daily

Character Development Process

• Ali: cursing relief, cathartic to speak boldly on stage
• Not as cathartic in real life
• Justin: slight adjustment into being kid at skate rink
• Focus on mundane things that are rich in reality
• Making friend, doing anagrams, going to work

Justin's Broadway Debut Story

• Jessica: just graduating high school, wrote to his mother
• Dropping off in Midtown instead of college
• Two weeks into rehearsal, Justin asked for help
• Private session working through show, talking through scenes
• Breakthrough moment: "I can just be me"
• Had been playing idea of character instead of being himself
• Everything "dropped in" after that realization

Casting Philosophy

• David: combo platter - cast closest person, then they inform everything
• Justin perfect first day: read Twitter bio, asked about D&D character
• Discussed D&D campaign - knew they cast right person
• Actors become "last cook in kitchen" with finishing touches

Character Personal Connection

• Ali: biggest fear as parent losing child before herself
• Super heavy circumstance, might act like Patty in situation
• Weird coping mechanisms, helpful being mom already
• Built-in connection for "Father Time" song
• Need levity, can't live in that space 24/7

Favorite Moments

• Jessica: hard to pick, every moment has years of memories attached
• Memories from David's house, workshops, torturing Ali over "Father Time"
• Ali: comic genius, grounds comedy in truth
• Janine: tuba solo moment (cut from album to preserve surprise)
• David: library Uno scene, wordless staging moment
• Vicki's face showing she won't have future like other teenagers
• Ali: first family scene meeting Patty, Buddy, Kim
• Audience laughing so hard, feels like sitcom/King of Queens
• Justin: meeting Kim scene, audience journey with awkward statements

Skating Technical Question

• Actually ice skating, not wheels on blades
• Always older husband telling wife he sees wheels
• "There aren't any wheels in the blades sir"

Audience Q&A

Character Bleeding into Personal Life

• Ali: more forward/direct talking, might curse more
• Appreciative of playing Patty for directness
• Find other activities outside show to stay refreshed
• Justin: definitely bleeds in, saying "lunch lady adjacent" statements
• Growing with character, weaving together as person

Ensemble of Four Teenagers

• David: main addition not in original play
• Wanted to expand Kim's school life
• Characters as reflection of who she is but will never be
• Chorus of nerds/geeks (David's friends essentially)
• Janine: needed to populate stage, make chords/harmonies
• Drama kids seemed connected to secret others didn't have
• Show choir competitive but loving dynamic
• Important musical world wasn't just singular trio/quartet

Regional Theater Future

• Dan (audience): Community theaters have older woman in every show
• Now gets to be ingenue
• Janine: 61, grew up with women now aged out of business
• Honor friends still talented but youth-based business
• David: spent career writing for older women
• Most plays growing up were for men
• If character gender didn't matter, made them women
• Excited for regional productions with ladies who want to sing

Victoria's Teenage Performance

• Jessica: tricky calibration, sometimes got too young (toddler land)
• Teens more still/poker-faced than bouncy
• Important to cast real teens around her for authenticity
• Justin still teenager when started
• Victoria does body work, Alexander Technique
• Voice box aging challenge - body doesn't lie
• Reserve older soprano for when others hear her
• Lighter/younger voice for subtext (how she feels inside)
• Victoria naturally mischievous with twinkle in eye