A New Brain
Music and Lyrics by William Finn Book by James Lapine and William Finn
Directed by Jim Linde
Theater Works
The Lakes Club Banquet Center, Sun City
(623) 815-7930
April 23rd - May 16th, 2004
$15.00 - $21.00

I am very particular when it comes to works I have not seen. I refuse to read plays until I see them staged, and I will not listen to a soundtrack until I've seen the musical. This resulted in me not knowing what the buzz was about for Rent for a few years, and I've got a few days until I finally see why everyone is so hot on Urinetown. Along with these and others, I place the entire works of William Finn, a man who was hailed in the early 90s as the inheritor of Sondheim's mantle. His Falsetto Trilogy is supposed to be a masterwork, but I've never heard a single song from it. Thanks to Theater Works and director Jim Linde, I have finally found out why everyone loved his "comeback" work, A New Brain. This vaguely autobiographical musical about a children's show composer who is diagnosed with a rare brain defect that requires a risky craniotomy is a revelation every minute that it prances across the stage. I found myself enthralled with each clever lyric and brutally honest observation. I believe what is most impressive is that as dark and ruminative as this work is, there is an undeniable love of life that infuses it and makes it worthy of the description "Life affirming and heartwarming." The only way I can describe this musical is to compare it to Bob Fosse's autobiographical film All That Jazz, but without the bile.

That this work is gaining its sea legs in the heart of Sun City makes me smile even as I write it. The protagonist, Gordon Schwinn (Scott Campbell) has an entourage that includes his overprotective mother Mimi (Sherri Hildebrand), his snappy agent and wannabe wife Rhoda (Amanda Johnson), and his wayward, seafaring lover Roger (Brian E. Sweis). If there's ever been a stronger musical justification for same-sex marriage, I haven't seen it. The script is peppered with frank language and harsh situations, and it certainly doesn't seem like something that would ordinarily play on West Thunderbird, but I was proud of the audience for their perseverance. Not one left at intermission, despite the liberalism of the piece. What they received for their openmindedness was a solid production of this excellent script.

The center of the evening, Campbell dropped several clinkers when singing and seemed a bit distracted, but still was able to make his not-so-loveable character easy to connect with. Those around him are all uniformly impressive. Hildebrand's performance is a great understanding of the oppositions of motherhood; eternal optimism and overpowering fear. When she sings the heartbreaking "The Music Still Plays On" and the tormented "Throw it Out," she holds the audience's rapt attention. Johnson is in top form, strong of voice, fleet of foot, and biting as a tick. Sweis is a powerful singer, and plays the distance of his character without making him hard to love.

Leading the ensemble, Stephen Goodfriend is his usual wonderful self as the Id of Gordon's hallucinatory dreams, his boss at the children's show, Mr. Bungee. He is full of wicked mirth and tyrannical glee. Kimberlee Hart shows her belting prowess and twisted-lip realism as a homeless woman, while Robert Vance is the perfect image of self-reverence as the distracted Doctor. Bruce Alvin's nice-nurse Richard is a buoyant, self-effacing creation, while Chrystalle Reed and Nick Wo are solid in their roles.

Mr. Linde has kept the pacing brisk and the movement engagingly blocked over his slyly-decorated set. Laurie Trygg's choreography fits perfectly the lighter and darker moments of the evening, while Jeb Johnson's lighting captures the moods and meanings of the moments. Paul Snatic's costumes are excellently considered creations, and though I am not a fan of canned music, Cris Wo's integration of the sound design into the evening had me initially looking around for instruments.