FLASH FRIDAY: Get The Doctor! Medical Musical Moments - A NEW BRAIN, NEXT TO NORMAL, TOMMY, Etc.

In honor of the New York return of A NEW BRAIN, today we salute medically-themed moments from musicals.

The Doctor

The most difficult and dicey position to be in when working on a new production of a play or musical is an individual deemed show doctor. For the uninitiated and non-Broadway babies among us, the definition of show doctor is someone who is chosen by the production and/or creative team to come in to offer advice and potentially re-stage, rewrite or reconfigure a show if the powers that be feel that the enterprise may currently be in trouble and needs a new set of eyes. Usually, the show doctor is an industry professional with a proven track record or an individual who has shown a particular affinity for the material or genre of the particular show in need of fixing. For instance, Tommy Tune brought in friend and former collaborator, Tony Award-winning director and choreographer supreme Michael Bennett to advise on MY ONE & ONLY while Tune was juggling duties of star, director and choreographer in the show as a means to glean a fresh perspective on the piece. Although there has never been a musical about show doctors themselves, actual doctors have had a role in many memorable mainstage entertainments - both as characters onstage and as producers behind the scenes - with their various appearances covering a large swath of Broadway history.

Although Dr. Frank N. Furter in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW may owe more to Dr. Frankenstein than DOCTOR FAUSTUS, the many medical musical moments that have arisen throughout Broadway history are intriguing and instructive to note, particularly with the return of the largely medically-themed Off-Broadway musical A NEW BRAIN by William Finn and James Lapine arriving at City Center as part of the Encores! Off-Center summer season this week in a new production featuring Jonathan Groff as well as tweaks to the show implemented by Finn and Lapine, who also directs. On that note, be sure to check out my extensive InDepth InterView with William Finn all about the new mounting of A NEW BRAIN and much, much more, available here. Of course, Finn touched upon medicine before in one of his other musicals, FALSETTOS, which presents one of the protagonists as an early responder to the AIDS crisis, Dr. Charlotte, who sings the chilling score standout, "Something Bad Is Happening", and Finn also touched upon medicine in ROMANCE IN HARD TIMES, depicting a Depression-era woman who refuses to give birth to her child until the end of the downward financial spiral, holding back the baby for years beyond nine mere months.

Besides the Finn doctors and Frank N. Furter, other musicals to showcase sequences or entire plot points dedicated to the medical field and the men and women who inhabit it include the Pulitzer Prize-winning mental health-centric musical NEXT TO NORMAL, the campy Dr. Frankenstein spoof inherent to Mel Brooks's YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Dr. Hapgood in Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents's ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, the imposing doctor in THE WHO'S TOMMY, the trusty psychiatrist (Dr. Mark) of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, the morphine addled Colonel-Doctor Otternschlag in GRAND HOTEL, Randy Newman's quirky and funky take on Christopher Marlowe's DOCTOR FAUSTUS, the "Therapy" sequence in Jonathan Larson's TICK, TICK... BOOM! and the self-help groups depicted throughout Larson's RENT in "Will I?" as well as the loopy and laughable Professor Abronsius in DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, the historically-based title character in Andrew Lloyd Webber's most recent West End offering, STEPHEN WARD, and, also, both from just this year on Broadway, the eponymous DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the medical anomaly of the conjoined twins who star in SIDE SHOW - not to mention the protagonist of a brand new musical which just began previews last night, AMAZING GRACE, and its Doctor Of Divinity himself, John Newton.

While show doctors save shows, real doctors save lives, so it is safe to assume that it won't be long before a musical tackles the subject in a meaningful way head-on - or, the case of A NEW BRAIN, head-open.

Doctor, Doctor

So, now, let's take a look at some of the most memorable medical moments from musicals old and new.

First up, a look at the Encores! Off-Center production of A NEW BRAIN starring Jonathan Groff.

Next, a touching moment from the AIDS-themed Finn musical FALSETTOS, Dr. Charlotte included.

Finn's ROMANCE IN HARD TIMES features a woman who refuses to give birth, to the amazement of doctors.

SIDE SHOW showcases a medical curiosity of the highest order, based on the real-life Hilton Twins.

Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire's BABY depicts a trio of expectant mothers in a doctor's waiting room.

GRAND HOTEL features a primary character who uses his medical license for nefarious purposes.

Also, a self-help moment from Jonathan Larson's autobiographical TICK, TICK... BOOM!

A look at Larson's moving group therapy sequence in his seminal rock opera RENT, "Will I?"

Next, check out Jack Nicholson as the Doctor in the film version of THE WHO'S TOMMY.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN spoofs Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN in idiosyncratic Mel Brooks fashion.

Professor Abronsius is another campy character with a medical degree - and several other degrees, as well.

Alice Ripley won a Tony Award for her performance in depression-centric NEXT TO NORMAL on Broadway.

STEPHEN WARD presented a dynamic account of one of the most discussed doctors in British history.

Just last season, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO saw patients on the Great White Way - though not for very long, alas.

The most flamboyant and flashy doctor this side of Transsexual Transylvania, Dr. Frank N. Furter.

Plus, Dr. Furter's medical experiment gone bad, Eddie, as played by Meat Loaf in the ROCKY HORROR film.

Bob Fosse brilliantly broke down his own heart surgery and its repercussions in ALL THAT JAZZ onscreen.

While not a doctor, the next best thing: "Be A Dentist" from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS; at City Center July 1!

As a special bonus, go behind the scenes of the musical episode of nighttime soap GREY'S ANATOMY.

So, what is your absolute favorite medical moment from a musical? Furthermore, what is your choice for top musical theatre song pertaining to the topic of medicine? With a spate of shows this diverse to choose from - and certainly many more examples beyond even these in the vast history of Broadway and beyond - it is clear that, at least on Broadway, the doctor is always in.

Photo Credits: Next To Normal, 20th Century FOX, Blu-ray. com, etc.