A New Brain

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

A New Brain

Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy  /  4w, 6m

Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn and James Lapine

William Finn’s semi-autobiographical musical, about a young composer facing a life-threatening medical emergency, is a quirky, funny, life-affirming look at love and loss.

Image: 2015 New York City Center Production (Joan Marcus)

A New Brain

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1999 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical

Details

Summary
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 specter 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.
History
A New Brain premiered off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center Theater on 18 June 1998. Directed by Graciela Daniele, the production featured Malcolm Gets, Kristin Chenoweth, Penny Fuller, Christopher Innvar, John Jellison, Keith Byron Kirk, Liz Larsen, Michael Mandell, Mary Testa and Chip Zien. In June 2015, the musical was presented as part of the Encores! Off-Center stage concert series. Directed by James Lapine, the production featured Jonathan Groff, Ana Gasteyer and Aaron Lazar.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting A hospital room.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language

Media

“Jaunty [with] moments of captivating eccentricity.” – The New York Times
“Quirky and intensely personal… a score chockablock with character-driven songs, novelty numbers, pretty ballads and unexpected, grin-inducing rhymes.” – New York Daily News
“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
“Charming and funny… good-hearted and likable… the show’s dominant tone is of a cosmic gratitude.” – The New York Times
“Apt and original… A fascinating story.” – The New York Post
“Clever… The unpredictable, often catchy score alternates between madcap, hallucinatory production numbers and gorgeous, tender ballads… the musical plows ahead without pause for 100 minutes and giddily sweeps the audience along.” – amNY

Videos

  • A New Brain preview at New York City Center youtube thumbnail

    A New Brain preview at New York City Center

  • A New Brain youtube thumbnail

    A New Brain

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Vocal DemandsDifficult
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo
  • Chorus Size Small

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

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Authors

William Finn

William Finn

William Finn (1952-2025) was the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards, Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score. He also wrote and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland (Outer Critics Circle ...

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James Lapine

James Lapine

James Lapine was born in 1949 in Mansfield, Ohio and lived there until his early teens, when his family moved to Stamford, Connecticut. He attended public schools before entering Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he majored in History. He went on ...

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