Meet the New Brain Behind A NEW BRAIN
William Finn is a composer and lyricist of musicals such as In Trousers, Falsettos, Elegies: A Song Cycle, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (which Theatre Horizon produced in 2010).
He is also the composer, lyricist, and co-writer (with his longtime collaborator James Lapine) of Theatre Horizon's upcoming production, A New Brain.
A New Brain is William Finn's most personal work. Days after winning two 1992 Tony Awards for Falsettos, Finn was diagnosed with a terminal brain condition. Fortunately, the initial diagnosis was incorrect and after surgery and radiation, Finn recovered. The near-death experience, however, left a strong impact on him and left him with what he called "a new brain."
"When I came out of the hospital, I couldn't sit at the piano without writing a decent song," said Finn. "There was just all this gratitude that I was alive and this life spewing out of me - the piano was singing - and I was just there to write it down." Finn was, in fact, writing A New Brain.What started out as simply a song cycle soon turned into a full-length musical about a theatre composer trapped in a job writing songs for a children's TV show who ends up in the hospital awaiting surgery, certain he's dying. But despite its dark subject matter, A New Brain is actually a life-affirming, heartfelt musical about second chances and choices. Which is unsurprising, given Finn's experience. After his treatment, Finn said, ''I felt like a totally new person, given a second amazing chance. [Before] I had always felt either superior or inferior, outside normal interaction. And in some way, my delight with life allowed the barriers to come down.'' For the first time, he adds, ''I felt a part of the human race.''
Previews for A New Brain at Theatre Horizon begin October 13th - get your tickets today! Reserve Your A NEW BRAIN Tickets Now >>
Join us for A New Brain Post-Show Discussions on
Friday October 21
Sunday October 23
& Wednesday October 26.
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