Video: How Bonnie Milligan Built a Better Debra

The Booth Theatre isn't big enough to hold the applause every night for the fan favorite character of Kimberly Akimbo. That has everything to do with Tony nominee Bonnie Milligan.

"What I love about [Debra] is her fearlessness, her fight, and her grit," she explaied to BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. "When we meet her in the show, stakes are high. Some stuff has gone down and she needs things. It's fun to find this very flawed human and find the humanity within. I have some of the best comedy to work with, but what has been fun to sink my teeth into is finding the why of what she's doing and to ground it in her love of Kimberly."

In Kimberly Akimbo, Kim is a bright and funny Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. And yet her aging condition may be the least of her problems. 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.

In the process, Aunt Debra stops the show with her twisted Act 1 anthem, "Better".

"'Better' is Debra's life philosophy, so it's very active. You watch her weave a spell and you learn so much about the character right away. It's all there- I just had to get al the clues and figure out how I wanted to interpret it and Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire were so onboard. We really collaborated together."

watch as Bonnie chats more about how she brought Debra to life on Broadway!