Backstage with Darron Hayes of 'Kimberly Akimbo'

When Darron Hayes stepped onto the stage at New York’s Booth Theatre for his Broadway debut in Kimberly Akimbo in March of 2024, it wasn’t just another milestone — it was the realization of a dream planted years earlier in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“I grew up singing in church, dreaming of Broadway and the big screen,” Hayes recalls. After high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a BFA in musical theater from Penn State, he made the leap to New York City. From there, he’s built a career that has taken him across Broadway, regional stages, Australian premieres, and even into TV and film. But nothing quite compared to that debut night.

Darron Hayes

“Easily one of the most magical days of my life,” he regaled. “Half the theater was there for me—family and friends from all over just to support me for one night, for two and a half hours. It was a dream come true.”

That night also came with another twist: while walking into the stage door, Hayes learned he’d been offered a spot on the Kimberly Akimbo national tour. “I remember thinking, give me a second — I can’t process this right now. I need to focus on making my Broadway debut,” he said with a laugh.

Hayes’s Broadway run was as a vacation cover, filling in for short stints. On tour, though, he fully inhabits the role of Martin — performing eight shows a week, traveling city to city, and learning how to sustain himself through the grind.

“Broadway and tour are two completely different games,” he explains. “Now, I am the role. That means protecting my peace, doing hot yoga and Pilates, meditating, even taking walks alone. Anything I can do to just take care of myself.”

Martin, Hayes’s character, is part of a love-square among the show’s quirky choir kids — a mix of comedy and heartache. To play a teenager, Hayes draws on memory. “When you’re that age, everything feels like life or death. Even just looking in the direction of your crush feels like the biggest thing in the world. So I try to remember those types of sensitive feelings as I'm playing a 16-year-old, all while putting my own flare on it as well.”

For audiences unfamiliar with the show, Kimberly Akimbo is a coming-of-age story about a girl with a rare genetic disorder that causes her to age four times faster than normal. Balancing heartbreak with sharp comedy, the production explores resilience, family dysfunction, and the small but seismic dramas of adolescence.

One of Hayes’s favorite moments is the “Skater Planet Reprise.” In it, the teens dream aloud about escaping New Jersey — college, careers, love — while Kimberly quietly realizes those futures may never be hers. “It’s beautiful and devastating at the same time,” he said with a sigh. “But then the show will have you laughing so hard you’re on the floor. We really give you everything.”

What should audiences expect? Hayes doesn’t hesitate: “You’re going to be full — spiritually, emotionally, everything. We’ll have you laughing and crying within a 60-second time span. It’s life-affirming, it's devastating, it's hilarious, and it's a really heartfelt coming of age story that truly can speak to anyone.”

With stops in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin before the tour loops back in January, Hayes is thrilled to bring Kimberly Akimbo to Texas audiences.

Tickets for Kimberly Akimbo are available now at texasperformingarts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com