There is a strong tradition in literature of using a single character to embody and convey pathos, the evoking of pity or sadness. These characters often are also imbued with a kind of heroism and serve as powerful magnets that help the writer create a tone so we feel a certain way about the character, story, and theme. Think Lennie in Of Mice and Men, Smike in Nicholas Nickleby, Gabe in Fences. Each of these three have mental disabilities, are cared for by others who love them, and in the first two examples their deaths are signature, heartbreaking moments.
Kimberly in Kimberly Akimbo, the first play of the Altarena Playhouse’s 86th season, is cousin to these folks. She has progeria, a condition that causes someone to age rapidly, in her case four-and-a-half times as fast as normal. We also learn early on that the life expectancy for someone afflicted in this way is far shorter than those without, so there is a clock in a sense that propels the play forward.
Jamison Vaughn, who plays Kim, is terrific, as is Peter Marietta as her dad Buddy, Allison Gamlen as her mom Pattie, Caroline Schneider as her Aunt Debra, and Rowen Weeramantry as school friend Jeff. They are an outstanding ensemble of angst and woe interrupted by moments of comedy and affection. But what dominates in the play, directed by Dana Anderson, is that pathos. It is so well crafted—from the set and costumes that are the bones of this story—and so well performed that it was hard for me to set aside the pity and sadness in order to rejoice in the humor and heart.
In many ways it begins with the set, designed by Tom Curtin. Rather than the sophistication of a Jane Austen drawing room, as we saw in last month’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, the prologue to this play is a weary apartment. Stage right is the kitchen with a dreary refrigerator, shabby cabinets, and a too-small sink. Stage left is Kimberly’s room with a bed bedecked with stuffed animals crammed together beneath a wall of 90’s pop posters of happy, smiling, pretty people.
Janice Stephenson’s costumes complement this look and feel, especially with what Kim has to wear. Her clothes neither fit nor flatter, and combined with her unfashionable hair and glasses, the presentation is off-putting. Rather than dress her outwardly as a teenager in order to contrast with her condition, Kimberly’s look is aged and weary. I applaud each of these artists but must say that the feelings of dread and dismay that are summoned only get worse when we meet the family. The father has a drinking problem, the mother, who is recovering from surgery, is pregnant and a hypochondriac, and the aunt is a criminal. Even the stage business is discouraging. They eat a lot of cereal and not at all in the Jerry Seinfeld tradition of whimsy and joy in a bowl.
There are moments meant to be salvation—a speech given by the dad that starts the second act, a game-night belated birthday celebration, and the end where hope and sweetness are offered from the lovely chemistry between Vaughn’s Kim and Rowen’s Jeff. Of course the path and person of Kimberly is intended to lift and carry us, and she tries awfully hard to do so. She is insulted and endures, she is belittled and bounces back, and she is forced to live with people who, for the most part, are not very good people at all.
Kimberly does grow, both older and stronger, and Vaughn’s performance of that is worthy of applause. To borrow from Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice, “so shines a good deed in a naughty world.” Kimberly is that candle in this play. I celebrate her light but wish the darkness surrounding her was not nearly so heavy.
Kimberly Akimbo runs through February 25 at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at Altarena.org.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.
