A New Brain at Old Library Theatre

A NEW BRAIN, created by Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist William Finn and playwright James Lapine, is an unexpectedly funny show that gives a glimpse into the inner world of Gordon Michael Schwinn (played by Patrick Dwyer), a frustrated composer for a children’s television show. A brain disorder leaves Gordon hospitalized, where he floats in and out of consciousness, contemplating his life, legacy, the meaning of music, and the important relationships in his life. Throughout his hospitalization, Gordon is haunted by an imaginary frog from the show he works on. As a quartet of quirky hospital staff (the egotistic neurosurgeon, a nice nurse, a mean nurse, and an out-of-his element minister) try to tend to his medically uncertain needs, Gordon’s overbearing Jewish mother, his lover, and neurotic best friend work to maintain his emotional health. Throw in a deeply philosophical homeless woman, and you have the ten-person cast of this touching, funny, and relatable musical that explores life’s beauty when we take the time to appreciate it.