Area Premiere
November 3 - 27, 2000 - Bryant Lake Bowl Cabaret Theater
Music and Lyrics - William Finn
Book - William Finn & James Lapine
From the composer of March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland comes this joyous celebration of life. Based loosely on the composer's own near-death struggle with a brain tumor, A New Brain follows the journey of a young songwriter who - when faced with a similar crisis - guides the audience through a hourney of discovery that is at once wise, sad, compassionate and funny. A New Brain triumphs in its ability to create such an innovative, uplifting work of art out of such potential adversity.
Director / Choreographer - Steven Meerdink
Musical Director - Kevin Hansen
Cast
Gordon Michael Schwinn - Kevin Hansen
Rhonda - Robbie Mancina
Mr. Bungee - Paul Reyburn
Richard - Eric Johnson
Roger Delli-Bovi - Steven Meerdink
Homeless Lady - Kathleen Hardy
Waitress / Nancy D - Suzanne Reyburn
Dr. Jafar Berensteiner - Alan Sorenson
Minister - Steven Todd Schmidt
Mimi Schwinn - Anne Hinnenkamp
Musicians
Katie Hoody (Piano)
Tony Schiefert (Percussion)
"As performed by the Minneapolis Musical Theatre at Bryant Lake Bowl, Brain is a zippy, hilarious, touching two-hour romp through several neighborhoods not often visited by musical comedy ... The stellar cast delivers more than 20 numbers with incandescent energy." - Pulse
"A New Brain has got to set some kind of record for tunes per minute...The Minneapolis Musical Theatre staging...gets full marks for smoothly moving the 10-person cast on the bitsy Bryant-Lake Bowl stage and for skillfully blending the show's comic and dramatic elements without ever going overboard in either direction.” - St. Paul Pioneer Press
