Our June 2024 Musical: A New Brain

With a band on stage, Upstage presents a quirky musical about small joys in perilous times – a wonderful tribute to the healing power of art!

Ticket sales are now open!

A New Brain will be our goodbye show to the Theater am Käfigturm. A longstanding collaboration is coming to an end, as the current management will be closing the theatre in August 2024.

A NEW BRAIN

Music and lyrics by William Finn, book by William Finn and James Lapine

presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals

Director: Nikolina Dominković

Choreography: Franziska Meyer Schneider

Music Trio: Irina Bedoeva (p), Lucien Palak (sax), Damien Kuntz (d)

Through a cheerful score, irreverent lyrics and some goofy antics, A New Brain tells the story of struggling songwriter Gordon as he is rushed to hospital. Surrounded by his supportive boyfriend, his worried mother, a concerned colleague and a quirky cast of doctors and nurses, Gordon grapples with his fears and anxieties. Throughout his hospital stay he is haunted by Mr. Bungee – a large green frog who is the star of the children’s television show he has been composing for. In this heartwarming comedy, Gordon gets a second chance as he confronts his doubts and finds a path to healing.

Ticket sales are now open on EventFrog:

Friday, 07.06.24 at 20:00
Saturday, 08.06.24 at 20:00
Sunday, 09.06.24 at 17:00
Thursday, 13.06.24 at 20:00
Friday, 14.06.24 at 20:00
Saturday, 15.06.24 at 17:00

Cast

Gordon	Lucas Pfister
Lisa	Chris Bärtsch
Rhoda	Tia Grün
Waitress	Eliane Baumann
Mr. Bungee	Guillaume Babey
Nancy D.	Sofia Spörri
Richard	Orkun Durmaz
Minister	Andrew Mutuura
Doctor	Carla Carlucci
Mimi	Claire Edwards
Roger	Tobias Ochsner
Ensemble roles	Poppy Bushell Jutta Schönhofer Eliane Baumann

Crew

Production Manager	Tamar Richner
Light Design and Programming	Max Protzen
Set and large Props Design	Anna Goetz
Prop Construction	Anna Goetz, Saskia Wiegisser, Marie-Louise Oswald, Jeanette Mathé, Eve Urecht
Set Dressing	Suzanne Seiler
Props	Suzanne Seiler, Kusum Sägesser
Stage Manager	Anna Goetz
Assistant Stage Managers	Saskia Wiegisser, Valeria Lucentini, Tony Dandan
Light and Sound Operation	David Erb
Costumes	Myriam Schleiss, Anastasia Larguier
Hair and Make-up
Poster and Program	Tamar Richner
Photography	Magda Pawłowska
Transport	Sebastian Coleman
Social Media	Valeria Lucentini
Front of House	Kusum Sägesser

Our Approach

A New Brain focuses on depicting the inner world of the main character, Gordon, as he goes through the traumatic events. His subconscious and hallucinations become the central stage where he transforms his real experiences into funny, grotesque and surreal scenes, using them as a therapeutic tool for his healing. Each serious conversation and experience inspires a musical depiction in which the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Through music and creativity, Gordon shapes his experience into humorous and liberating moments, confronts challenges and finds a path to healing.

Musical Authorship

William Finn (1952) is the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score.

James Elliot Lapine (1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.

A New Brain deals directly with Finn’s own harrowing experience with an arteriovenous malformation and the healing power of art. Finn wrote many of the songs soon after his release from the hospital. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1998 and has been revived in the U.S., England and elsewhere. A New Brain won the 1999 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. Many of its songs (e.g. ‘Sailing’) have become part of the standard repertoire of musical singers.