Review: 'A New Brain' at Theatre NOVA

Theatre NOVA

For those who have survived 2020, the need for connection is stronger than ever and theaters are stepping forward to do what they’ve always done best—provide a space for those connections. As actors are once again able to share stages, they are demonstrating the ways people connect and love each other.

Theatre NOVA of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Ringwald Theatre of Ferndale, Michigan have teamed up to produce a moving and beautiful production of Willian Finn and James Lapine’s “A New Brain,” a musical that focuses on how we can make the most of the time we have to be with others.

Running for three weekends, from June 5 to June 20, the filmed musical comedy makes the most of the treasures the two theaters have, from an amazing lighting designer to talented actors to a space that quickly and easily transforms to tell Gordon’s story of dealing with risky brain surgery and how that affects the myriad relationships he has with his lover, his mother, his best friend, his boss, his medical team and even strangers.

Under the direction of Vince Kelley (who also plays the part of Roger, Gordon’s lover), “A New Brain” focuses on relationships. Kelley adapted not just to a different medium to tell this story, but a rehearsal process that had to change because of pandemic concerns. Using a COVID-19 Contingency License, Theatre NOVA and The Ringwald Theatre adopted a new process to keep things safe for everyone. The cast spent a month learning and rehearsing on Zoom under the direction of Music Director R. MacKenzie Lewis. Then they began doing socially distanced and masked in-person music rehearsals. Once the cast and crew were all vaccinated and COVID-tested, Kelley and cinematographer Jake Tuner shot the show over a 12-day period.

The result is an on-demand production that is not a Zoom show but exists somewhere on the spectrum between live theater and film.

Kelley is to be praised for finding that perfect balance between what works on a stage and what works on a screen. While the show was highly theatrical, using stage movement, visible light and singing delivered directly to the audience, Kelley also made the most of the film medium to bring out the pitfalls and strengths of each relationship. Because he could use the camera to focus the attention of the audience, the close-ups brought them right into the moments that were most heart-breaking and the ways the characters either connected or didn’t.

One of the things he is to be most commended for is his decisions on when people make eye contact and when they fail to do so. Gordon (played by Richard Payton) and Roger have a steamy connection, with Roger always trying to establish eye contact and Gordon sometimes reciprocating and sometimes resisting. On the flip side, Gordon never makes eye contact with his boss, not even in those rare times that they are portrayed as being together, albeit in a dream.

Another place in which the cinematography was informed by theatricality was in the song where Gordon is about to have an MRI. Banks of lights are visibly moved about in a way you would normally never see on screen, but the ability of the cameras to zoom in for close-ups enhanced the choreography to create a claustrophobic environment.

Payton’s Gordon is stuck in a resentful frustration with his life, resisting the optimism of his partner and mother, starved for understanding from his best friend and his boss. Payton expresses well this feeling of being stuck and the fear of losing everything he had once dreamt of, whether because he’s stuck in commercial work he hates or the more immediate risk of dying or becoming brain dead from the brain disease he is found to have.

Arielle Crosby plays the part of the homeless woman who begs for change, and not just change of the copper and silver variety. The street woman is a stranger to all, but still a presence in their lives, sometimes a change agent, sometimes a mirror. Crosby instills her with a confidence and strength that creates appeal every time the camera swivels to her. Her expressiveness and rich voice grant her the status of a Greek chorus.

Kelley has some of the most heart-breaking and emotionally intense moments in the musical. Roger is clearly devoted to Gordon and loves him with full knowledge of his flaws and challenging personality. Kelley leans into each interaction, creating the most intimate and unconditional connections in the show.

Both Liz Schultz as Rhoda, Gordon’s best friend, and Diane Hill, Gordon’s mother, bring contagious energy to the stage, their attitudes contrasting with Gordon’s lethargy and negativity. Each have moments where they reveal their deepest fears and they perform them well.

Another standout performance is given by Jason Briggs, the “nice nurse,” who overrides the doctor’s (Steve DeBruyne) detachment and the other nurse’s (Alaina Kerr) chipperness. He brings authenticity to the care of his patient and is willing to share his own challenges, whether it is being poor and unsuccessful or the trouble that his willingness to bend hospital rules is going to get him into.

Theater is local. It is an exchange between actors and audiences who share a space and have a mutual connection with the community or region in which they exist. While the filmed version condenses some of that, there were still a few moments of fan service that acknowledged the connections audience and actors have—such as when DeBruyne’s doctor said he was off because he and his family had tickets to the DIO that night (the DIO being the theater DeBruyne is the artistic director of).

Lighting Designer Dan Morrison did so much incredible work in this production it’s difficult to know where to begin the praise of it. Whether it was the imposition of waves over Roger and his boat in “I’d Rather Be Sailing” or the exciting and intense storytelling in the horse race scene, Morrison’s lighting is as important to the story as the music and acting. His bold choices helped to underscore which scenes were “real” and which were part of Gordon’s imagination or hallucinations.

“A New Brain” is entirely sung through and R. Mackenzie Lewis’ musical direction and creation of musical tracks is so seamless as to almost not be noticed. One of the challenges of the show is the way the mood of the music speaks to what is happening, often in direct conflict with the words. It is something Lewis does well. He ensures that the ensemble work provide for the demands of the moment, whether it is harmonic unity or clashing arguments.

While there is much about “A New Brain” that feels intensely immediate as we emerge from a year where everyone had to fear for their health and question how much time they might have left in this world, there are also elements that date it to its 1998 release. Perhaps the most obvious is the fat-shaming that is flat-out vocal that fat equals bad. There are many references to that, but it is especially prevalent in “The Rules of Genetics,” that constantly repeats that fat is a bad trait.

“A New Brain” is a beautiful story that encourages audiences to question what their priorities are, what truly matters to them in life. While it treats on health, death, fear and breaks in relationship, it never ceases to be entertaining and filled with laughter at the absurdities of life. Theatre NOVA and The Ringwald Theatre are to be commended for the way they have made this musical work and bringing it to a theater-starved audience.

They also remind us that not only do we need art and music to get along, but we also need time and to make the most of that time.

Dates: June 12, 13, 19, 20

Where: On-demand viewing at www.theatreNOVA.org

Tickets: $25