Artists are too often plagued with the fear of running out of time before they can release their work to the world. But while some lament under the pressure of a ticking clock, others goofily contemplate relationships, life and music while being haunted by a singing frog.
The latter is the case in A New Brain, a semi-autobiographical whirlwind musical exploring the show’s composer and lyricist William Finn’s life-threatening medical scare and the healing power of art.
TotoToo Theatre’s cast and crew, under the direction of Bethany Papadopoulus, delivered each note of this sung-through musical with passion and quick wit, bringing humour and heart to the Gladstone Theatre stage.
With the book written by Finn and James Lapine, A New Brain follows Gordon Schwinn, a frustrated composer with Broadway aspirations, struggling to write songs for a children’s TV show. When Gordon is rushed to the hospital and discovers he has a life-threatening brain condition, his perspectives on life begin to change.
Through a chaotic series of flashbacks and hallucinations, Gordon explores his fears and unachieved aspirations while his unfinished work and the spectre of a large green frog haunt his recovery.
This show is no exception to Finn’s eclectic collection of idiosyncratic works. While the quick-witted style holds an undeniable charm, it left no room to emotionally connect with the characters. There was often little to no processing time as the show hastily transitioned from goofy melodies to emotional ballads.
But despite its extremely quick pace, the cast did not back down from the challenge of this juggernaut score. The vocals were backed by a talented live orchestra directed by Sabrina Tang, which flawlessly brought the score’s unique melodies and quick-changing tempos to life.
In the role of Gordon, Morgan Coughlan embodied the essence of a neurotic songwriter, confidently tackling some of the musical’s more tongue-twisting lyrics right from the start in “Frogs Have So Much Spring.” However, Coughlan sometimes struggled to project his voice in bigger cast numbers, his words becoming incoherent as they melded into the other vocalists’ harmonies.
Luc Cormier, as Gordon’s partner Roger, was brilliantly witty and charismatic in his maritime performance of “I’d Rather Be Sailing,” commanding the stage from the helm of a small ship set piece. Cormier performed seamlessly alongside Coughlan to deepen the couple’s romantic relationship, harmonizing beautifully in songs such as “Time” while staring longingly into each other’s eyes.
Playing the whimsical green frog named Mr. Bungee, Yazen Jaouni was a standout as he bounced around the stage — often riding a scooter — while delivering some of the show’s more vocally hectic lines. At one point he lost his balance on the scooter and fell to the stage — whether intentional or not, Jaouni sprung up and kept singing to provide yet another goofy moment.
With the back quarter of the stage occupied by the orchestra, group numbers sometimes felt overcrowded with the nine-person cast gathered on stage. But evidently cognizant of the limited space, Papadopoulus’ choreography made clever use of small-yet-dynamic movements — particularly brilliantly in “Gordo’s Law of Genetics” — which always enhanced the physical comedy.
While undeniably whimsical and chaotic, something about the energy and passion bursting from TotoToo Theatre’s production of A New Brain just makes the show work. This witty take on otherwise harrowing themes is a reminder to laugh, joke and make the most of the time we have left.
TotoToo Theatre’s ‘A New Brain’ is playing at the Gladstone Theatre until June 22. Tickets are available here.
Featured image by Alex Henkelman
