A New Brain

Celebration Theatre in association with the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Reviewed by Taylor Kass
Through June 24

RECOMMENDED

When your brain is in trouble, what happens to everything that makes you, you? Composer William Finn wrote the semi-autobiographical musical A New Brain after an arteriovenous malformation in his brain landed him in the hospital and threatened to end his life before he could complete his life’s work. In an exuberant production directed by Khanisha Foster, Celebration Theatre (in association with the Los Angeles LGBT Center) delivers a polished and downright fun version of this truly singular piece.

Finn writes himself into the story as cynical dreamer Gordon Schwinn, a character originally written as a man but who is non binary in Celebration Theatre’s production and played by non binary actor Amanda Kruger. Gordon’s charming and passionate partner Roger (Yassi Noubahar) is also reimagined as femme. Changing the gender identities of the musical’s central couple feels at once seamless and intentional, revealing new layers of meaning in the story (like adding a moment where Gordon is misgendered in the hospital, an all too common experience for gender non-conforming folks). Kruger and Noubahar lead an ensemble of exceptional vocalists who expertly nail A New Brain’s challenging score while delivering vivid acting performances.

While A New Brain’s score is immersive and unique, the plot feels somewhat meandering despite its very clear crisis. Composer Gordon is struggling to complete a song about a frog for their despotic boss/children’s TV star Mr. Bungee (Richardson Cisneros-Jones) when they collapse at lunch and are rushed to the hospital. Their best friend/agent Rhoda (Sadé Ayodele), their well-meaning but overbearing mother (Gina Torrecilla), and their sweet but distracted partner Roger band together to encourage Gordon in the face of a surgery that could save their life or end it. Gordon’s health scare forces them and their loved ones to reckon with life and legacy, but any character-shifting revelations that result aren’t clear enough in the text.

A New Brain might make more sense dramaturgically as a staged reading or concert, but Khanisha Foster’s direction and Alli Miller-Fisher’s choreography elevate this production to a truly engaging piece of theater. They’ve also managed to make the tiny stage space at the LGBT Center feel dynamic instead of crowded with some clever use of stairs, ladders and levels by scenic designer Stephen Gifford. At a time when trans lives and trans rights are under attack nationwide, it’s more important than ever to showcase diverse artists from across the gender spectrum. Imaginative staging and inclusive casting make Celebration Theatre’s production of this classic piece of LGBTQ theatre feel fresh and vital.

Los Angeles LGBT Center, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood; Thurs. – Sat. 8 pm.; Sun. 2 pm.; through June 24. https://lalgbtcenter.org/tickets. Running time: 95 minutes with no intermission.