Kimberly Akimbo at the Peace Center

The first act of Kimberly Akimbo — the Broadway musical at the Peace Center through Sunday, Aug. 10 — is the funniest single act of a new musical I’ve seen in years.

Both the book (by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play) and the songs (lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori) are original and clever, and the direction (by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone) introduces rich themes and complicated characters with a lovely balance of feeling and absurdity.

It’s quite a feat for a show with an unusual and potentially hazardous premise: Kimberly Levaco is a New Jersey teenager who has the outward appearance of a 60-year-old woman due to a genetic disorder that causes premature aging, with a life expectancy of about 16. But while the show explains all this, it’s a musical about making connections, living in the moment, and the perils of moral relativity — not an anatomy of disease. Indeed, as if to spoof shows more darkly focused, there’s a second act song called “My Disease” that starts off humorous before taking an emotional turn.

Telling this story is a remarkably compact and pleasingly talented company of nine performers, led by the wonderful Ann Morrison as Kimberly. Her career stretches back to the early 1980s, but here she’s a convincing modern teenager, dealing with problematic parents (Jim Hogan and Laura Woyasz, both terrific in difficult parts) and the usual challenges of high school. Then into her life walks fellow student Seth (the lively, scene-stealing Miguel Gil), a nerd obsessed with The Lord of the Rings and anagrams — which will eventually explain the musical’s oddly opaque title. Both Kimberly and Seth are just happy to have an attentive friend, and they bond immediately.

Performing the song “Better” are, from left, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Pierce Wheeler, Emily Koch, Darren Hayes, and Grace Capeless in Kimberly Akimbo. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

The catalyst for the remainder of the plot is the sudden appearance of Debra, Kimberly’s con artist aunt and a delicious agent of chaos and temptation. As portrayed by Emily Koch, she’s also hysterical, leading the over-the-top song “Better,” about her past cons, with the refrain, “Make your shitty life better.” (Kimberly Akimbo has no filters, so be prepared. It’s a bit like Dear Evan Hansen as reimagined by the South Park team.)

The songs are mostly deeply tied to plot and character, so while they’re pleasing and catchy, they’re unlikely to turn up in, say, a cabaret playlist. (One sweet exception to that is “Good Kid,” movingly sung by Gil, which asks, “What has it got me, being good?”… and which includes a tuba solo, for good measure.) But every song is rich with wordplay and creative lyrics (one even finds a rhyme for “narcissist”), and the showier numbers — like “Better,” “This Time,” and “How to Wash a Check” — are still the showstoppers they need to be.

Miguel Gil as Seth performs “Good Kid” in Kimberly Akimbo. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

This is not a “big” show, with lavish sets and snappy costume changes, but it’s touching and deeply human in a way that flashier musicals often aren’t. The sets are smartly designed and appealing; the projection effects blessedly minimal, in keeping with the 1999 setting. The show relies on its human assets to enthrall the audience, and this cast — many of whom were previously in the Broadway production — accomplishes their mission with heart and abundant vocal skills.

Kimberly Akimbo has no “ensemble,” in the sense of nameless characters to fill out its big numbers. Instead, we have four members of the high school show choir (energetically played by Grace Capeless, Darron Hayes, Skye Alyssa Friedman, and Pierce Wheeler) who drift into Kimberly’s and Seth’s orbit and have subplots of their own.

Jim Hogan as Buddy sings “Hello, Baby” in Kimberly Akimbo. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

But one of the many groundbreaking aspects of Kimberly Akimbo is that all of the characters — including that show choir — have flaws and make poor choices now and again, and the show’s creators don’t feel obligated to redeem everyone nor to tie everything up in neatly happy conclusions. Don’t get me wrong — the show end on a glorious high note, but we theatergoers are left to judge everyone’s actions and imagine their futures for ourselves.

Kimberly Akimbo is playing at the Peace Center through Sunday, Aug. 10. For tickets and more information, visit peacecenter.org.

(From left, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Pierce Wheeler, Darron Hayes, and Grace Capeless. Photo by Joan Marcus)

Emily Koch and Laura Woyasz in Kimberly Akimbo. (Photo by Joan Marcus)