(As Mama Drama is getting ready for her big return to the stage Papa Drama steps in this week...)
As last Friday was Mama Drama's only night not rehearsing for her show PROOF (Go see PROOF!!), instead of having some quality family time, I thought my time would be best spent getting a new brain. A New Brain is a contemporary musical with score and lyrics written by William Finn (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elegies: A Song Cycle, Falsettoland) and book by Finn and James Lapine currently being produced by Acting Up Stage in Toronto.
A New Brain is the story of Gordon Schwinn (Steven Gallagher), the songwriter for a children's television show who is diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation and requires brain surgery. (Did I mention it's a musical???) The show deals with the healing power of art. It's semi-biographical, as William Finn's near death experience following brain surgery was his inspiration for the show. "When I came out of the hospital, I couldn't sit at the piano without writing a decent song. At the piano, there was just all this gratitude that I was alive and all this life spewing out of me - the piano was singing, and I was just there to write it down." (Lincoln Centre Theater Review, 1998).
And how was it? In a word: Breathtaking. As a performer it can be a difficult experience watching a show. Your emotions run from jealousy ("I could do that just as good! Why didn't they cast me???") to misery ("I'll never be as good as them."). That aside, ten minutes into the show I was captivated, falling in love with the characters and cheering for Gordon.
The cast is perfect. All of the have their individual moments to shine. I think that I'd pay money to hear well-known Stratford and musical theatre performer, Thom Allison (Roger) sing the phone book. And what other show would you get to see Juan Chioran (he's done a ton of work, but readers here may recognize him as some of the voices behind Miss Spider, Jane and the Dragon, Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs and Rolie Polie Olie) playing Mr Bungee and dressed like a frog for an entire show?
My one small quibble was with the direction of the show. There's a dream sequence that was confusing for the audience. I know the show well, and it took me a while to realize we were in the middle of it. Also, some of the songs were played for comedic effect rather than just relying on their sentiment.
However, overall a truly wonderful experience.
A New Brain is a sung-through musical which plays about 100 minutes with no intermission. It runs until March 1 at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs. After you've seen Mama Drama's show (PROOF: go see it!) three times, I would highly recommend getting A New Brain.
Comments