‘New Brain’ a real treat with heart and music

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Gordon Schwinn is having a rough time of it. He is a songwriter reduced to writing for a puppet named Froggy. Gordo’s a prickly guy anyway, and now he’s having hallucinations — just before he passes out, headfirst into his spaghetti.

Among the many joys of “A New Brain,” a semiautobiographical musical by William Finn, is finding the extraordinary in the mundane and the humor in the most dire situations. Mr. Finn and cocreator James Lapine tap into the flaws-and-all humanity in each of the characters, and that makes them all the more approachable, even lovable.

And there is so much to love about the Front Porch Theatricals production of “A New Brain,” which boasts an impressive star turn by John Wascavage as Gordon, who finds himself in need of urgent physical and emotional repairs.

Mr. Wascavage recently headlined the CLO Cabaret musical “Up and Away,” playing a hick with lots of heart. Here, he plays an urban wit who seems heartless on the surface, although he is blessed with a mother, an agent and a lover who all dote on him. He’s a mass of insecurities, shrouded in rudeness, and suddenly, he is facing death, which has his biting wit working on overdrive.

Yet you still find yourself rooting for Mr. Wascavage’s Gordon, a testament to the actor’s ability to give the character complexity with a look and infuse emotion into a range of Broadway-pop songs.

He leads a terrific cast that includes Front Porch mainstay Becki Toth as the mother who’s “gonna make things fine.” Pittsburgh CLO veteran Drew Leigh Williams as a homeless woman with attitude and Brady Patsy’s blistering baritone. It’s a top-to-bottom talent trove.

Three Point Park University students are outstanding in their Front Porch debuts: Pierre Mballa