A New Brain
A New Brain
#0A New Brain
Posted: 6/27/04 at 8:10pmIn an attempt to hit on a girl at Barnes and Nobles I bought the OBC. I found it very charming. Kinda odd, but charming, nontheless. Did anyone see it? Was it good? What does everybody else think about this show?
#1re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/27/04 at 8:18pmI don't know too much about the show, but I did "Heart and Music" in school, and really felt that it was a beautiful song. But hearing about the plot kinda turns me off to the show. Does anyone know what it's exactly about?
#2re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/27/04 at 8:23pmThis is one of the many musicals I wish would come to broadway. It has a beautiful score and a touching storyline.
#3re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/27/04 at 10:33pm
It's about this guy who thinks he has a brain tumor and about how he and his family and friends cope with the idea of him dying. I really enjoy it. I think William Finn does not get the credit he deserves.
If you love A New Brain, check out the Infinite Joy CD. It has some New Brain songs on it.
Nick
FinnFanatic
Stand-by Joined: 6/21/04
#4re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/27/04 at 10:39pm
You've come to the right place. I was Gordon in this show last summer. As you can tell by my icon, I'm a huge William Finn fan. The show is my second favorite show (second only to "Falsettos", also by William Finn). The show is 90 minutes long, entirely sung though. Don't be turned off by the subject matter. It is just the surface of the story. It is much deeper than it sounds. The show is about Gordon Schwinn, a gay, jewish composer who works for Mr. Bungee, the host of children's TV show. At the very beginning of the show, Gordon is having lunch with his best friend and agent, Rhoda, when he suddenly collapses with a sharp pain in his head. He is rushed to the hospital, where it is discovered he has a rare genetic condition known as arterio-venus malformation. He must undergo brain surgery in order to stay alive. Almost the entire show takes place in the hospital. Gordon is joined by his boyfriend (Roger), his sometimes-over-the-top mother (Mimi), a "thin-nurse" (Nancy D....originated by none other than Ms. Kristin Chenoweth), a "nice-nurse" (Richard), a doctor, a minister, and a homeless woman who asks for nothing but "change" (Finn used the double meaning of the word LONG before Kushner came up with it, but they are both brilliant). Mr. Bungee also pops in and out. The scenes shift in an out of Gordon's mind (several scenes take place in his mind, including an entire "coma sequence" consisting of the songs "Brain Dead", "Whenever I Dream", "Eating Myself up Alive", "The Music Still Plays On" and "Don't Give In". The show is loosely based on William Finn's life.
My fav songs are "Heart and Music", "Sailing", "And They're Off", "An Invitation to Sleep in My Arms", "A Really Lousy Day in the Universe", "The Music Still Plays On" and "I Feel So Much Spring". It's on of the only shows I've ever been in where the majority of the audience ended up balling their eyes out.
Any more questions?
#5re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 5:59amWithout doubt it's one of my favorite works of William Finn, with a talented charming music and a very witty lyrics.
#6re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 8:11am
I had heard the CD countless times, so I viewed the videotape at the Lincoln Center Library.
It was VERY enjoyable. The entire company sounded much better in person than on the CD, which is impressive. Norm Lewis kicked butt.
I think the show could use some cuts (i.e. the song the Mother character sings and a couple of others slow the show's momentum down), but on the whole it was entirely enjoyable.
FinnFanatic
Stand-by Joined: 6/21/04
#7re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 8:23am
I disagree about cutting the Mimi's song. In my opinion, that is one of the most poignant moments of the show. Up until that moment, Mimi had been very energized and on the balls of her feet about everything. She would not accept the fact that her son could die. In "The Music Still Plays On" (If that is the song you are talking about, which I think it is...her other two solo numbers are pretty up-beat...though the girl who played Mimi when I was in it wishes we had cut "throw it out")we see another side of Mimi. The song takes place during Gordon's "coma" sequence, so it is all in his head. He is picturing what his mother will be like if he dies. It is also a good moment for the audience. It makes it very difficult to tell if Gordon has, in fact, passed away. Because of this, the moment when he awakens from the coma is all the more powerful.
Bear in mind that it is 8:30 in the morning on Monday, so if that made absolutely no sense at all, forgive me.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#9re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 1:16pmI also viewed the show at the Lincoln Center Library. I loved the CD and then enjoyed the Lincoln Center production as well. Later, I played the Minister and never got tired of performing the show. I like Falsettos better, but I also enjoy A New Brain. Not too keen on In Trousers, though.
#10re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 4:51pm
FinnFanatic...
The Mother's song may very well be an important character-driven song, but to this audience member, it brought the pace of the show down significantly. And that song was not alone, unfortunately.
I agree that the show, on the whole, is a great piece of work by William Finn. Actually, I think it's his best and most interesting.
IMHO, however, it does have some uneven spots. The Mother's character (Mimi, you say?) certainly needs a number. That one just didn't grab me as it should have. I don't think it was Penny Fuller's "fault" either. I automatically skip that one now on the CD.
She just needs a better song. We all know Finn's got it in him somewhere...
PLUS, remember I saw it on videotape ... so the thrill of "being there" was absent. Although, much of the rest of the show thrilled, nonetheless.
#11re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 5:00pmFinn has mentioned in an interview that Helen Hunt wants to head a film version of "New Brain"....wonder if that will ever happen...
#12re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 5:08pmWhoops - let me correct that - it's actually Falsettos that Hunt allegedly wants to make - "Trina". My mistake.
FinnFanatic
Stand-by Joined: 6/21/04
#13re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 5:13pmWhere did you read that? If that happens, it may just be the greatest thing that ever happened to me (I'm not too sure about her abilities to play Trina....but I've never heard her sing, so I don't know).
#14re: A New Brain
Posted: 6/28/04 at 5:16pm
Finn was in Houston a few months ago for a production of "Brain" by the Masquerade Theatre. He mentioned it in an article with the Houston Chronicle. Here's the link:
http://www.masqueradetheatre.com/index.cfm/act/newsletter.cfm/category/A%20New%20Brain/menuitemid/454/MenuGroup/A%20New%20Brain/NewsLetterID/54/startrow/4.htmhttp://www.masqueradetheatre.com/index.cfm/act/newsletter.cfm/category/A%20New%20Brain/menuitemid/454/MenuGroup/A%20New%20Brain/NewsLetterID/54/startrow/4.htm>http://www.masqueradetheatre.com/index.cfm/act/newsletter.cfm/category/A%20New%20Brain/menuitemid/454/MenuGroup/A%20New%20Brain/NewsLetterID/54/startrow/4.htm
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