Kathrine Nero spoke with Miguel Gil when he was understudying the role of “Seth” in the Broadway production of Kimberly Akimbo. Since their conversation, Miguel has been cast as “Seth” in the National Touring production that will visit Cincinnati.
KATHRINE NERO: Miguel, let’s talk about Kimberly Akimbo. First of all, what an amazing Broadway debut! A show that wins [the Tony Award for] Best Musical. That’s remarkable.
MIGUEL GIL: Remarkable, yeah. This whole experience has been crazy. My whole journey to get to Broadway was just a dream. And then getting to work on a show where the whole creative team are stacked with legends, and learning everything from the understudy perspective, getting to observe a lot. It was a huge learning experience, so that was really cool.
KN: Talk about your process of getting here. You came to New York to compete in the Jimmy Awards [the national high school musical awards.]
MG: I went to the Jimmys the year that they came back from Covid. And through that I got to meet a lot of New York casting people. I got to audition for Kimberly when it was off-Broadway and I didn’t get the role. But then when they transferred to Broadway, I came back and did another callback for the Broadway production, and then that’s when I got the job.
KN: When people ask you what Kimberly Akimbo is about, how do you sum it up?
MG: It’s kind of hard to sum up in a few sentences, but it’s kind of just a great coming of age story about getting old and growing up, but not in that specific order. And it’s packaged in a really funny box that will make your heart shine, and it will also heal your soul a little bit and remind you about how awesome life is and how we can enjoy every moment of it.
KN: Unconventional friendships are always fun, like this one between Seth and Kimberly. Tell us about that relationship.
MG: It’s just these two people who are outsiders, who don’t necessarily fit into a certain group. They find each other in this time where both of them are in high school and sixteen. It’s such a weird time, but they’re able to see each other and it’s huge for both of them.
KN: Why should people see this show?
MG: It’s profound. If you’re a fan of musical theater, you want to see a show by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay Abaire. Those are two legends. And on top of that, it’s a Tony Award-winning Best Musical. Why would you want to miss that? It’s also really great, and it’s going to make you question your human life and how long you’ve been on this Earth.
Kimberly Akimbo plays the Aronoff Center February 18 – March 2, 2025. For more information, visit BroadwayInCincinnati.com.
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