BWW Reviews: Finn and Lapine Perform Minor Surgery on A NEW BRAIN

So what's a Tony-winning composer/lyricist/bookwriter to do after recovering from surgery for an arteriovenous malformation on his brain stem? Write a musical about it, of course.

And it's a good one, too. William Finn's 1998 Off-Broadway musical A New Brain (with a book co-authored by James Lapine) may not exactly be autobiographical, but there are few musical theatre authors of his stature who can write a song about having an MRI from firsthand experience.

Mostly sung-through, Finn's jaunty, conversational score is of the same ilk as his landmark Falsettos, full of educated urban wit and heavy on the Jewish side. When he writes for the main goyum character, he uses a slogan from a bumper sticker that was popular with suburbanites at the time ("I'd Rather Be Sailing") and embraces it with a gorgeous melody and words of wistful longing worthy of an American Songbook standard.

The leading character, Gordon Schwinn, is a songwriter with dreams of penning hit Broadway shows, but who for now is trying to scratch out a living writing tunes for a children's television host, the frog-like Mr. Bungee. Though his relationships with his loved ones are explored after he passes out and learns that he must have very dangerous brain surgery, the main focus is on Gordon's frustrated obsession over the songs he never wrote and his determination to compose something to be remembered for.

Lapine did not direct the original production, but he takes the reins for this weekend's Encores! Off-Center concert mounting. Fans of the show will certainly notice a bit of tinkering, especially the omission of the entire scene where Gordon passes out in a restaurant. A little-known Kristin Chenoweth scored with a terrific comic number in that scene, as a waitress singing the day's specials.

Jonathan Groff has a pleasant presence and a sweet singing voice, but lacks the acerbic wryness and neurotic anxiety that makes Gordon interesting. Conversely, Ana Gasteyer is a knockout right from the get-go as his single mom, who flaunts her survival from an abusive marriage with style and sophistication. From her barrelhouse entrance to her stunning performance of a dramatic ballad where she anticipates Gordon's death (a rare mother/son torch song) Gasteyer is thoroughly captivating, intelligent and entertaining.

Beautifully-voiced Aaron Lazar has a noble Sir Galahad quality as Gordon's dependable boyfriend, Roger, and Dan Folger is a maniacal show-biz tough guy as Mr. Bungee.

Made up more of episodes than a strong storyline, A New Brain tends to start floundering a bit midway through. This is especially apparent with the inclusion of a philosophical homeless woman whose requests for change can be taken two ways. While the character's significance to the tale is unclear, Rema Webb belts up a storm and adds biting attitude.

But the individual pieces of A New Brain add up to smart and original musical theatre; and that's the kind of change we can always appreciate.

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