Review: A NEW BRAIN at PrideArts

It's such a common sentiment that it's become a cliche: Live every day as though it were your last. From the holiday staple A Christmas Carol to the instantly classic film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, there's no shortage of media telling audiences that it's never too late to live your life in a more intentional, more fulfilling way. So it's perhaps no surprise that composer William Finn (perhaps best known for FALSETTOS and THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE) turned his own brush with mortality into a life-affirming musical that retains all of its creator's signature whimsy and wit. Now A NEW BRAIN returns to Chicago with a new production from PrideArts. And while this iteration leans heavily into Finn's chaotic sense of fun, it occasionally rushes through the emotional beats and connections that make the show such a powerful study of illness, hope, and community. The musical runs through September 14 at the Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Lakeview.

A NEW BRAIN follows the young composer Gordon Schwinn (Dakotta Hagar) as he struggles to write new songs for Mr. Bungee's Lilypad, a children's show whose creative team is under the tyrannical thumb of its namesake (Taylor Bailey). One day over a creative meeting with his agent Rhoda (Caitlin Preuss), Gordon faints and is rushed to the hospital, where he learns he has abnormal connections between the blood vessels in his brain that have led to bleeding and swelling. Rushed to surgery while professional deadlines loom over him, Gordon spends the show's 100 minutes reflecting on his past, his relationships, and his desire to finally write all the songs in his mind before it's too late.

The musical rests almost entirely on the shoulders of the actor playing Gordon, and Hagar--with his youthful sense of ambition and pleasing tenor--makes for a winsome leading man. He particularly shines in the musical's more comedic numbers and in scenes where Gordon's overbearing mother (Michelle McKenzie-Voigt) threatens to shred whatever sanity he's managed to hold on to. Beck Hokanson, as Gordon's boyfriend Roger, makes for an equally charming love interest who still manages to convey a great deal of psychological depth as he struggles to support his significant other (and himself) in unprecedented times, though the romance between the two men doesn't always feel as strongly developed.

Perhaps this is partly because, as critics of the original production noted when it premiered, A NEW BRAIN often feels more like a series of interconnected skits than a cohesive artistic whole. And, to his credit, PrideArts's artistic director Jay Espano ensures that the show's comedic moments land like a refreshing breath of cool air. Bailey is delightfully demented as Mr. Bungee, and you're not likely to see a kickline of racehorses anywhere else in Chicago this season (costume design by Shawn Quinlan and choreography by Britta Schlicht). But the musical's emotional payoff doesn't feel entirely earned. A melancholic vision of Gordon's funeral doesn't bring the tears one might expect, and his ultimate release from the hospital feels more like a foregone conclusion than a long-awaited triumph. There are exceptions, though. Hagar and McKenzie-Voigt have a touching duet of loneliness and despair on the night before Gordon's surgery, and Hokanson's "A Really Lousy Day in the Universe" is one of the few musical numbers that effectively conveys just how frightening this experience must be for Gordon and his loved ones.

Other notable standouts include Jonas Davidow, whose stirring vocals make up for his underutilization as a well-intentioned hospital minister; Lena Simone as Lisa, a homeless woman with an impressively soulful belt; and Cordaro Johnson as Richard, a kind-hearted nurse who becomes a supportive shoulder for Gordon and Roger during their stay. Gael Owens's inventive scenic design is also impressive, making use of retractable hospital curtains to seamlessly change scenes and--with the help of Connor Blackwood's media design--establish locations throughout New York and inside Gordon's tortured psyche.

And even if the laughs come more readily than the tears, perhaps it's for the best that PrideArts's A NEW BRAIN serves as a welcome prescription for joy at a time when many of us may feel lost in the gloomiest of swamps.

Chicago Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. HAIRSPRAY (Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park)

7.4% of votes

2. RENT (Highland Park Players)

7.4% of votes

3. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Up and Coming Theatre/Elgin Summer Theater)

6.7% of votes

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