A NEW BRAIN
Directed by JAMES TALLACH
Musical Direction by JENNIFER HONEN GALEA
September 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 8pm
September 17 at 2pm
Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre
Central Square, Cambridge
Tickets may be purchased online through
our online ticketing center or by calling (617) 524-5013.
Directed by JAMES TALLACH
Musical Direction by JENNIFER HONEN GALEA
September 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 8pm
September 17 at 2pm
Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre
Central Square, Cambridge
Tickets may be purchased online through
our online ticketing center or by calling (617) 524-5013.
By the Tony-award winning authors of Falsettos, here is an energetic, sardonic, often comical musical about a
composer during a medical emergency. Gordon collapses into his lunch and awakes in the hospital
surrounded by his maritime-enthusiast lover, his mother, a co-worker, the doctor and the nurses. Reluctantly,
he had been composing a song for a children's television show that features a frog - Mr. Bungee - and the
spector of this large green character and the unfinished work haunts him throughout his medical ordeal. What
was thought to be a tumor turns out to be something more operable and Gordon recovers, grateful for a chance
to compose the songs he yearns to produce.
The story of A NEW BRAIN is drawn from Finn’s own life. Back in 1992, shortly after the successful opening of
Falsettos on Broadway -- the culmination of years of work -- Finn suffered a brain seizure and was hospitalized.
During this painfully difficult time, his doctors could not immediately pinpoint the cause of the seizure and were
not sure if he would survive. Finn also feared that, even if he lived, he still might lose his ability to write.
From such dire source material came this surprisingly joyous and funny musical about songwriter Gordon
Schwinn. Bolstered by the support of his mother, his boyfriend Roger and many other good friends, Gordon
finds the courage to confront his mortality and allow his doctors to perform the necessary surgery. In life and on
stage, thankfully, there is a happy ending.
Finn recovered completely and this musical is a glorious rediscovery of his distinctive songwriting ‘voice’, an
exorcism of a painfully dark period, a coming-back to the world, with Finn writing in a freer and warmer way than
ever before. This is a very touching show, but not a downer at all -- it’s a big upper!
"Jaunty [with] moments of captivating eccentricity." - N. Y. Times.
"Apt and original . . . A fascinating story." - N. Y. Post.
"Filled with beguiling, buoyant melody [and] witty and original lyrics . . . The kind of musical theatre invention we
have come to expect from this gifted artist." - InTheatre.
composer during a medical emergency. Gordon collapses into his lunch and awakes in the hospital
surrounded by his maritime-enthusiast lover, his mother, a co-worker, the doctor and the nurses. Reluctantly,
he had been composing a song for a children's television show that features a frog - Mr. Bungee - and the
spector of this large green character and the unfinished work haunts him throughout his medical ordeal. What
was thought to be a tumor turns out to be something more operable and Gordon recovers, grateful for a chance
to compose the songs he yearns to produce.
The story of A NEW BRAIN is drawn from Finn’s own life. Back in 1992, shortly after the successful opening of
Falsettos on Broadway -- the culmination of years of work -- Finn suffered a brain seizure and was hospitalized.
During this painfully difficult time, his doctors could not immediately pinpoint the cause of the seizure and were
not sure if he would survive. Finn also feared that, even if he lived, he still might lose his ability to write.
From such dire source material came this surprisingly joyous and funny musical about songwriter Gordon
Schwinn. Bolstered by the support of his mother, his boyfriend Roger and many other good friends, Gordon
finds the courage to confront his mortality and allow his doctors to perform the necessary surgery. In life and on
stage, thankfully, there is a happy ending.
Finn recovered completely and this musical is a glorious rediscovery of his distinctive songwriting ‘voice’, an
exorcism of a painfully dark period, a coming-back to the world, with Finn writing in a freer and warmer way than
ever before. This is a very touching show, but not a downer at all -- it’s a big upper!
"Jaunty [with] moments of captivating eccentricity." - N. Y. Times.
"Apt and original . . . A fascinating story." - N. Y. Post.
"Filled with beguiling, buoyant melody [and] witty and original lyrics . . . The kind of musical theatre invention we
have come to expect from this gifted artist." - InTheatre.
CAST
| JIM FITZPATRICK (Gordon Michael Schwinn) |
| KENDRA KACHADOORIAN (A Homeless Lady) |
| PERI CHOUTEAU (Rhoda) |
| ANNE VELTHOUSE (Waitress/ Nancy D) |
| GARY RYAN (Mr. Bungee) |
| ROBERT CASE (The Doctor) |
| JOE LANZA (Richard) |
| AARON VELTHOUSE (The Minister) |
| NICHOLAS NUNEZ (Roger Delli-Bovi)! |
| MARY O'DONNELL (Mimi Schwinn) |
A NEW BRAIN
 |  |  |  |  |  |
METRO STAGE COMPANY
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Metro’s BRAIN Trust - By
Beverly Creasey (Theatre Mirror)
It’s a no-brainer. William Finn’s delightful musical
about love, commitment, good friends, unrelenting
mothers, nasty nurses and frogs is getting a spiffy
outing at the Cambridge Y ---but only through next
weekend, so galvanize that grey matter and get a
ticket! A NEW BRAIN is funny, smart, a wee bit
naughty and chock full of lively music directed by
Jennifer Honen Galea and clever staging by
James Tallach.
Beverly Creasey (Theatre Mirror)
It’s a no-brainer. William Finn’s delightful musical
about love, commitment, good friends, unrelenting
mothers, nasty nurses and frogs is getting a spiffy
outing at the Cambridge Y ---but only through next
weekend, so galvanize that grey matter and get a
ticket! A NEW BRAIN is funny, smart, a wee bit
naughty and chock full of lively music directed by
Jennifer Honen Galea and clever staging by
James Tallach.
"A New Brain" - By Larry Stark
(Theatre Mirror)
William Finn's "A New Brain" is a very personal
musical comedy, since he "did the research" on
bleeding in his own brain, endured nice and
vicious nurses, a blandly indifferent doctor, a
bumbling minister offering his Christian Bible to a
Jewish patient, and lived to make a musical out of
his brush with death. The circle-dances of friends
and family and hospital denizens mirror the
show's fresh lyrics, bubbly music and --- in this
Metro Stage production --- an eagerly energetic
cast offering, everywhere, cutely crafted tiny details
exploding silently all over the stage.
(Theatre Mirror)
William Finn's "A New Brain" is a very personal
musical comedy, since he "did the research" on
bleeding in his own brain, endured nice and
vicious nurses, a blandly indifferent doctor, a
bumbling minister offering his Christian Bible to a
Jewish patient, and lived to make a musical out of
his brush with death. The circle-dances of friends
and family and hospital denizens mirror the
show's fresh lyrics, bubbly music and --- in this
Metro Stage production --- an eagerly energetic
cast offering, everywhere, cutely crafted tiny details
exploding silently all over the stage.
Quicktake on "A New Brain" -
By Will Stackman (Theatre
Mirror)
When William Finn, then best known for his
"Falsettos" shows, came close to dying from an
inherited brain condition, his quirky
sensibilitiesnaturally turned his experience into a
musical—with the help of sometime Sondheim
collaborator, director James Lapine. "A New Brain"
has had several Boston-area productions since its
NY run at Lincoln Center, but Metro Stage's current
brief run in Cambridge may come closest to
realizing its potential.
By Will Stackman (Theatre
Mirror)
When William Finn, then best known for his
"Falsettos" shows, came close to dying from an
inherited brain condition, his quirky
sensibilitiesnaturally turned his experience into a
musical—with the help of sometime Sondheim
collaborator, director James Lapine. "A New Brain"
has had several Boston-area productions since its
NY run at Lincoln Center, but Metro Stage's current
brief run in Cambridge may come closest to
realizing its potential.