Olathe’s Justin Cooley, 19, performs at Tonys after learning fate as first-time nominee
It’s only been two years since Justin Cooley was a theater kid performing in musicals at Olathe East High School.
And there he was, on Sunday night, performing at the Tony Awards in New York City where he was nominated for his first professional acting job.
Cooley was one of five nominees for best featured actor in a musical for his role in “Kimberly Akimbo.”
It went to “Shucked” star Alex Newell, a “Glee” alum who became the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony for a performance.
Cooley’s castmate, Bonnie Milligan, who plays Kimberly Akimbo, won best featured actress in a musical.
In the last Tony of the night, “Kimberly Akimbo” won for best musical. After his acceptance remarks, producer David Stone tried to let Cooley address the audience, but the sound was cut off because the show was ending.
“Kimberly Akimbo” is a comedy/drama about the life, friends and dysfunctional family of Kimberly, a 16-year-old whose fatal aging disease makes her look 72.
Cooley plays Seth, described by The New York Times as an “anagram-obsessed, Elvish-speaking, sweetly weird high school student.”
Cooley’s supporters back home were invited to gather at Olathe East to watch the show Sunday night. Fans congratulated Cooley and wished him luck on social media.
Kansas City had other representation at the Tonys this year.
Another teenage actor from Kansas City, 14-year-old Drew Squire, is currently a cast member of Tom Stoppard’s play, “Leopoldstadt,” which won for best play.
Broadway and music producer Evan McGill from Kansas City, nominated twice, won as a producer for “Parade,” named the best revival of a musical.
Before Sunday, Cooley’s agent, Elin Flack, told The Star that his work in “Kimberly Akimbo” has attracted “tons and tons of interest” from people wanting to work with him. He’s under contract with the show for a year.
Fame has come quickly for Cooley. He had never seen a live Broadway show or been to New York City, and didn’t have an agent or manager when he auditioned for “Kimberly Akimbo.” He was preparing for freshman orientation at Texas Christian University, where he planned to study musical theater.
He recently told The Star how, in November 2021, he stood at the edge of the stage when “Kimberly Akimbo” opened off-Broadway, having belted out his moving and introspective ballad, “Good Kid.”
“I was so nervous, so nervous. I was so scared to be on a professional stage,” he said. During his curtain call that night, he thought: “I can’t believe I did this. I can’t believe I’ve come this far in such a short time.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2023 at 9:43 PM.
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