NewsPhoto Call: William Finn and Stars of Hamilton and "Looking" Celebrate Jonathan Groff's Opening Night in A New BrainAaron Lazar, Ana Gasteyer and Tony winner Dan Fogler join Jonathan Groff in the New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center series revival of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain June 24-27.
By
Matthew Blank
June 25, 2015
The musical features a book by Lapine and a score by Finn. Lapine also directs the staging.
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William Finn and Stars of Hamilton and "Looking" Celebrate Jonathan Groff's Opening Night in A New Brain
William Finn and Stars of Hamilton and "Looking" Celebrate Jonathan Groff's Opening Night in A New Brain
Aaron Lazar, Ana Gasteyer and Tony winner Dan Fogler join Jonathan Groff in the New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center series revival of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain June 24-27.
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Jonathan Groff, Bradley Dean and Quentin Earl Darrington
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Aaron Lazar, Jonathan Groff and Ana Gasteyer
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Alyse Alan Louis, Rema Webb, Aaron Lazar, Jonathan Groff, Ana Gasteyer and Dan Fogler
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Alyse Alan Louis, Rema Webb, Aaron Lazar, Jonathan Groff, Ana Gasteyer, Dan Fogler and Josh Lamon
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Ana Gasteyer, Dan Fogler, Josh Lamon, Jenni Barber and Quentin Earl Darrington
Groff, who returns to Broadway later this season in Hamilton, plays a songwriter dealing with a brain tumor. Fogler plays Groff's overbearing boss. Fogler won the Tony for Best Featured Actor in the 2005 musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His movies include "Balls of Fury" and "Kung Fu Panda."
Gasteyer (Mimi Schwinn), a former member of the "Saturday Night Live" troupe of comedy players, has appeared on Broadway four times, including a stint as Elphaba in Wicked. Lazar (Roger) has nine Broadway credits, the most recent being the Sting musical The Last Ship.
"This Story Sounds Like It's Not True," Said Jonathan Groff On Starring in A New BrainA New Brain, inspired by composer Finn’s personal experiences, is, press notes state, "a medical tragedy seen through the zany iris of a Looney Tunes short. After struggling composer Gordon Michael Schwinn (Jonathan Groff) collapses face-first into a plate of spaghetti, he is diagnosed with a brain tumor and is forced to come to terms with his creative ambitions and the lovable screw-ups in his life: an overbearing boyfriend, a power-belting homeless woman, and a nasty kiddie-show host named Mr. Bungee."
The 2015 Encores! Off-Center season will feature sets by Donyale Werle, costumes by Clint Ramos, lighting by Mark Barton and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.
The series also features The Lobby Project, a series of free performances, conversations and readings by groundbreaking artists, poets, authors and performers. The Lobby Project events place each musical in the context of its legacy and provide insights into the work the audience is about to experience. The schedule will be announced at a later time.
All tickets begin at $25 and can be purchased at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix at (212) 581-1212, or online at NYCityCenter.org.