🎭 A Chat About Time, Messy Families & Kimberly Akimbo
Sometimes these interviews feel a bit more polished and professional. And sometimes they feel like exactly what they are, two women on opposite ends of the a Zoom calls, one in the mitten, the other across the pond and a bit north just talking about life, time, family, and coffee while technology refuses to cooperate.
This one was the second.
We had the chance to chat with Emily Koch who plays Aunt Debra in Kimberly Akimbo, – coming to Wharton Center on March 10, and within minutes we were talking about touring life, why aunts are so special, fiancés walking through hotel rooms, and why this show quietly changes people.
It felt real. And fittingly, so does this musical.
Unfortunately the Zoom record function didn’t work and this is unfortunate because this was one of the best chats I have had for Wharton Center. Fortunately though, Emily shared a quick video – linked here – introducing herself to Greater Lansing Area Moms!
“I would do anything to be in this show.”
Before Emily was ever cast, she saw Kimberly Akimbo Off-Broadway.
“I fell in love with this part and thought, I would do anything to be in this show.”
She later joined the Broadway company as an understudy, and when she was offered the full-time tour role as Aunt Debra, she said:
“This is going to change my life, and it really has.”
Eighteen months in, she still means that.
So what is Kimberly Akimbo actually about?
If you haven’t read the synopsis (and honestly, maybe don’t, because this may be one you don’t read about before), here’s how she described it:
“It’s about a 16-year-old girl with a rare condition that ages her body four times faster than normal. But really it’s about her realizing she has one life and asking what she wants to do with the time she has.”
Yes, it’s quirky.
Yes, it’s funny.
Yes, there are questionable life choices and possible felony charges.
But underneath all of that, it’s about time.
And how we use it.
Aunt Debra: chaos and love and her own special way. Aunt Debra is fast-talking, impulsive, and absolutely capable of blowing up a quiet room.
She’s funny.
She’s unpredictable.
She makes choices that make you wince.
But Emily is protective of something important as she plays her performance after performance:
“Debra makes some questionable life choices… but her love for Kimberly is completely genuine. Everything she does comes from wanting Kimberly to have a big, beautiful life in a very small amount of time.”
And that shifts everything.
She’s not just the chaos.
She’s the one who refuses to let life be small.
What about the mom we don’t always see on stage?
For a platform that talks to parents every single day, this part of our conversation hit hardest.
Kimberly’s mom, Patty, isn’t the tidy, self-sacrificing, always-wise mother figure we often see portrayed.
She’s complicated.
She was young.
She’s grieving.
She’s overwhelmed.
She doesn’t always handle things well.
And Emily said something that made me pause:
“A lot more of us are Pattys than we think — complicated and doing the best we can with the tools we have.”
That’s not a villain.
That’s a human.
And honestly? That’s refreshing.
Eight shows a week will change how you live and where you live it. I asked how the show changed her day to day as they stop different places along the tour.
When you tell a story about time , eight times a week, it seeps into your own life.
Emily and her fiancé (they met on tour in 2018) now travel city to city together. They explore neighborhoods. They buy local coffee beans everywhere they go. They make dinner the event of the day.
“We go explore every city because we might never get to do this again.”
There it is again, time.
Because this isn’t one of those shows people come in already knowing by heart, many walk in completely blind.
And she told me they hear this at the stage door over and over:
“I came in not knowing anything — and I’m leaving with a new favorite musical.”
She said they hear as much laughing as crying. And that balance, irreverent and profound at the same time, is what makes it stick.
When I asked what she hopes people are talking about on the drive home from Wharton Center, she didn’t hesitate:
“I can’t believe I cried as hard as I laughed and laughed as hard as I cried.”
And maybe:
Who do I need to call?
What have I been putting off?
What matters more than I’m letting it?
If you go…
Go without over-researching.
Let it surprise you.
Plan for a conversation afterward.
Because this one doesn’t just entertain.
It nudges.
It reminds.
It gently asks:
What are you waiting for?
And yes, bring tissues and plan for taking in your new favorite!
Before we wrap this up, we truly need to thank Wharton Center for creating opportunities like this.
These conversations may begin as promotion for a show, but they often become something more. Little “pinch me” moments that stay with us long after we hang up the call.
Having rare one-on-one access to performers, both seasoned artists and those just hitting their stride, is something we don’t take lightly. We’re able to share a bit about our community, learn about their journey (and usually a nod to their moms, or aunts or other people), and give Greater Lansing area families something deeper to look forward to before opening night.
Thank you doesn’t quite feel big enough. But truly, thank you, Wharton Center. 💚
