KIMBERLY AKIMBO'S Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire Win Tony for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“This Time” they’re Tony Award winners! Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire have won the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for Kimberly Akimbo. They were crowned onstage at the 2023 Tony Awards held at the United Palace. The duo beat out fellow nominees Tom Kitt and Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous, Helen Park and Max Vernon for KPOP, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally for Shucked, and Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman for Some Like It Hot.
Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the music for Kimberly Akimbo, has arranged, written, and played keyboard for a number of Broadway shows. She made her Broadway debut with The Secret Garden, and continued working on Broadway with Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline, or Change, Shrek The Musical, Violet, Fun Home, just to name a few. Tesori has been nominated five times prior to Kimberly Akimbo, and won for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre for Fun Home. David Lindsay-Abaire, who wrote the lyrics (and book) for Kimberly Akimbo, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright for Rabbit Hole. Lindsay-Abaire has written a number of Broadway plays and musicals: High Fidelity, Shrek The Musical, and Good People prior to Kimberly Akimbo. He has previously been nominated for four Tony Awards, for Best Play for Rabbit Hole, Best Original Score Written For the Theatre and Best Book of a Musical for Shrek The Musical, and Best Play for Good People. Lindsay-Abaire has also written numerous projects for film and television, including the 2010 film adaptation of his play Rabbit Hole, Robots, Inkheart, Rise of the Guardians, Oz the Great and Powerful, and the 2015 remake of Poltergeist.
Kimberly Akimbo follows a bright and funny Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side.
