Music, pathos collide for 'A New Brain'

The act of invading the human mind always makes for good drama, hearty laughs, and awkwardness. All of these elements were present in the Boston College Contemporary Theater's presentation of William Finn's musical "A New Brain"- if not because of the script, which was somewhat lacking, but because of the talented cast. Directed by Ryan Aspell, A&S '08, the dreamlike musical featured magnificent staging and dancing. The production was a success, providing the audience with fun energy and a chance to reflect on life.

A New Brain tells the story of Gordon Schwinn (Evan Cole, A&S '11) who goes through a crisis while trying to finish a song for a children's television show hosted by Mr. Bungee (Steven Conroy, A&S '10), who dances around in a frog head and green business suit. Gordon later collapses while with his friend Rhoda (Grace Jacobson, A&S '10) and is then brought to a hospital filled with interesting personalities, including an incompetent doctor (Jacob Sherburne, A&S '11), a mean nurse (Lily Bayrock, A&S), and a nice nurse (Louis Tullo, A&S '09).The Gordon's life spirals out of control and he ends up bedridden, waiting to receive a craniotomy. Mimi Schwinn (Sarah Lang, A&S '10), Gordon's mother, comes and tries to cheer him up. But like any other disgruntled, ill person, Gordon finds her more annoying than helpful. Roger (Patrick Connolly, A&S '11), Gordon's significant other, returns from sailing to try to soothe Gordon, but his efforts are also useless. A homeless woman (Shelbi Thurau, A&S '09) adds little to the plot of the play but does offer an interesting perspective on life, calling for change in both senses. The audience goes into the mind of Gordon when he hallucinates about Mr. Bungee, in full frog costume, taunting him. Gordon also has vivid dreams of Rhoda and Roger, which adds to the whimsy of the musical.

Finn's musical, while enjoyable, lacked fluency. Many of the songs were performed in quick succession without enough dialogue to dig deep into the story. Other songs were too drawn out, painfully beating their messages into the minds of the audience. The songs were often forgettable, leaving the audience without catchy songs to hum to on the way back to their normal lives.

Much of the script and the songs, however, had some shining moments, portraying humor as well as loss. The main song, "Heart and Music," though powerful, was not the grandiose score expected from most musicals, and the awkward "Invitation to Sleep in My Arms" would have been rather sweet if it weren't for Mimi's line telling her son to sleep with Roger. It's always awkward when parents dictate their children's romantic lives. But the humorous songs more than made up for it, including "Trouble in His Brain" and "Gordo's Law of Genetics," in which Finn states that the fat gene always defeats the skinny gene.

The actors played their roles and sang their hearts out with passion. Cole was wonderful as the lead, but the chemistry between Cole and Connolly simply did not exist. There was awkwardness between the two actors, overshadowing their sweetly scripted romance.

Notable moments include Tullo singing "Poor, Unsuccessful, and Fat," causing the audience to laugh uncontrollably and Lang's heartfelt song "Music Still Plays On," which gripped the audience until the end of her performance. All the hallucinations were well directed and executed, especially the dream in which Jacobson plays an extension of Gordon Schwinn's thoughts. Thurau's singing was simply impeccable, especially in her song "Change," and Sherburne caused laughter with every look and movement. Conroy played his multidimensional character brilliantly, too, changing from his fantastical frog character to a demanding businessman in an instant.

The production looked incredible with creative usage of lights and three square pillars that were simply spun around to provide for different sets. The costumes were well put together, drawing comically on stereotypes. For instance, Roger, a lover of sailing, was in a white polo, blue blazer, and his hair was creepily gelled back. The makeup of some characters were so heavily applied that it was distracting. But the music was wonderfully played, completing the ambiance.

Overall, the musical provided for an amazing night of laughter. It was heartfelt and a little clichéd, as the director's note had warned, but it was a reminder that obstacles can be overcome, especially since the musical featured such a talented cast. It was a call for the audience to reexamine their lives and to realize how wonderful it is to love and to be alive.