Laughter, Love, and a Dash of Felony: Kimberly Akimbo Brings It All to Memphis

by Cary Vaughn

Kimberly Akimbo makes its Memphis premiere at the Orpheum Theatre Tuesday, June 24 and runs through Sunday, June 29. This acclaimed production has won five Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and marks a milestone for the Orpheum itself, earning the venue a Tony Award win as a co-investor in a Best Musical. Described by The New Yorker as a “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show,” Kimberly Akimbo follows the story of Kimberly, a bright and spirited teenager who, despite navigating family chaos, a rare aging condition, her first crush, and even potential felony charges, is determined to carve out joy and adventure. Unexpected, off-kilter, and uplifting, this musical reminds us what it means to grow up, grow old, and hold on to hope.

Recently, Focus had the pleasure of sitting down with cast member Regene Seven Odon (he/him) to talk about stepping into his first national tour, the rush of being on call to play one of three roles at a moment’s notice, and how the themes of Kimberly Akimbo resonate deeply with today’s audiences within the LGBTQ+ community.

Focus: This is the first national tour, correct?

Regene: Yes.

Focus: What was the most unexpected thing you learned from being a part of a national touring show?

Regene: I didn’t expect the cast to be as close as we are. There are only 15 cast members (and that includes the understudies). It’s so cliché, but we’re a family, and it’s fun. Going into rehearsals in New York City, I was very nervous because I was going to be working face-to-face with some of the Broadway performers that I’ve looked up to like Carolee Carmello. I mean, she’s Broadway royalty, and now I’m working with her. That was really intense, but she’s so down-to-earth.

Focus: Oh, nice. I bet that chemistry resonates on stage! And you understudy for three characters in Kimberly Akimbo: Seth, Aaron, and Martin. And as of May 28, I see you finally filled all three roles during a show, the character of Seth?

Regene: That’s correct.

Focus: Wow. How did that feel?

Regene: It felt…I felt a sense of accomplishment because going into this job, I had never understudied three roles before, and now that I know that I’m able to do it (and do it in front of an audience), I feel really good about myself and also really proud of the work that I’m doing.

Focus: You should! I’ve been involved in theater since I was 11, and I don’t know if aware, but I’ve never seen anybody understudy three roles in one show.

Regene: I am constantly on standby, so if I’m not in a performance, I am just chilling in my dressing room.

Focus: Nice! I gotta tell you, though, understudies are the absolute angels of live theater because they don’t get enough recognition for what they do. The amount of work that’s involved for an understudy, because you’re not just learning one role. And you have to be ready at the drop of a hat to take someone’s place. But for this show, you have three characters that you have to be ready to play in case one of the actors can’t go on.

Regene: [laughing] Yeah

Focus: So how did you prepare to understudy three roles before the tour started?

Regene: Thankfully, I am surrounded by a lot of theatre and Broadway veterans that have done the same job. A guy in the cast, Brandon, he’s also another understudy. He was in the Come From Away tour, and he covered five roles. And a lot of the principal cast members on this tour were the understudies on Broadway so they gave me great advice. Of course, the techniques are gonna be different for me, but they taught me a lot of things. And the one thing that worked for me was to take it one role at a time, to really just learn one and then once I’m feeling confident with the one that I just learned, I move onto the next, and then I kinda just rotate.

Focus: That’s pretty wild to me. What’s the shortest notice you’ve ever received to fill an understudy role?

Regene: Thankfully, it was maybe just, like, five hours. So far…

Focus: Did you feel a sense of panic? What did it feel like to realize that you’ll be performing a role that you learned as an understudy in front of a large audience for the first time in FIVE HOURS?

Regene: So the first time I performed as an understudy for this show, it was for the role of Martin and it was opening night in Cincinnati, and I got the text saying that I’m gonna be making my Martin debut, and I felt this rush, of course, but also excited.

Focus: I imagine there aren’t many thrills like it!

Regene: Yeah, because each and every role is so different, and each character is such a blast to play.

Focus: How long have you been involved in theatre, either acting class or first community theatre show?

Regene: I grew up in the Philippines until I was 6. So I was always surrounded by music because, you know, the Filipino thing is that you come out of the womb singing, and that very much applied to me. And then when I moved to the United States at a very young age, I discovered this video of Jennifer Holiday singing And I’m Telling You at the Tony awards and I was awestruck and inspired and curious. And that was when my love for theater developed. My first ever show in middle school, Guys & Dolls. My first community show was in high school. I played ensemble in Evita. And ever since then my love for theatre has been ignited every single day.

Focus: What is a favorite song that you have in this show?

Regene: Oh no! That’s hard!

Focus: [laughing] I’m so sorry!

Regene: A song I really like to perform is Better because the dancing is so fun and full of energy, and it’s silly. And Emily who plays Aunt Debra is a powerhouse vocalist. So getting to perform with her on stage in that number is so much fun. But on the emotional side, I would have to choose the song Now (from Act 2), and Seth sings it with Kimberly, and they sing about how it’s now or never, and I love the sense of urgency and hope.

Focus: Yeah. The characters in the show navigate love, friendship, self-discovery, and it’s done in a way that, to me, is touching. How do you think the themes from this show would resonate with an LGBTQ+ audience?

Regene: Each character in this show has strong hope, and now more than ever, I think the LGBTQ community really needs to hold on to their hope. I think that audiences will hopefully be inspired by these real characters on stage, holding onto their hope, and hopefully apply that into their real lives.

Focus: I’m looking forward to experiencing the same when y’all get here.

Be sure to get your tickets for Kimberly Akimbo here. The show runs at the Orpheum Theatre Tuesday, June 24 through Sunday, June 29. You don’t want to miss this show.