From The Tuscaloosa News:
The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance is set to open its production of William Finn’s semi-autobiographical musical, “A New Brain,” directed by Jimmy Kontos, on Monday in the Allen Bales Theatre.
The quirky and heartfelt comedy follows a young composer, Gordon Schwinn, as he undergoes treatment for a deadly brain disorder. Days before being rushed to the hospital, Gordon struggles to complete a song for the children’s television show “Mr. Bungee’s Lilly Pad.” To take a break and clear his mind, Gordon meets his agent, who is also his best friend, for lunch. Gordon complains of a headache, collapses face first into his pasta and is rushed to the ER. He wakes in a hospital room surrounded by his mother, friends, doctors and nurses who tell him that he has an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, and will need to have surgery.