Zohar and Methvin \u2014 too long absent from the Diversionary stage \u2014 portray Gordon Michael Schwinn and Roger Delli-Bovi, respectively. Schwinn is a neurotic songwriter who collapses into a plate of pasta, declaring, \u201cSomething just isn\u2019t right.\u201d Delli-Bovi, his devoted lover, hovers lovingly when Gordon is hospitalized.<\/p>\n Other characters are Gordon\u2019s agent and best friend, Rhoda, played by Megan Carmitchel; his mother, Mimi, played by Sandy Campbell; his boss, Mr. Bungee, gleefully played and sung by Jon Lorenz; a wily and wondrous Homeless Lady, portrayed by Tanika Baptiste; a Nice Nurse (Michael Parrott); a slightly spacy Doctor (Danny Campbell); the Hospital Minister (Stewart W. Calhoun); and in various roles, Katie Sapper.<\/p>\n The ensemble singing is thrilling and Michael Mizerany\u2019s choreography has just the right touch. The tango ensemble is to die for.<\/p>\n Janie Prim is music director; Ron Logan, scenic designer; Beth Connelly, costume designer; Curtis Mueller, lighting designer; and Blair Nelson, sound designer. No microphones are needed and the sound is excellent, thanks.<\/p>\n Director Strassburger displays assiduous judgment, blending the depth and the frivolity of the piece, sweeping us from tears to raucous laughter in a heartbeat. Mimi\u2019s \u201cThe Music Still Plays On\u201d (accompanied on \u201cair piano\u201d by Zohar, an accomplished pianist, as Gordon), Mr. Bungee\u2019s froggy antics, and Gordon and Roger\u2019s aching love song, \u201cAn Invitation to Sleep in My Arms\u201d are but a few examples. And then there is Baptiste, who knocks it out of the ballpark with \u201cThe Homeless Lady\u2019s Revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n The overriding sensibility is sincerity, the foundation of good musical comedy. The huge bonus is Strassburger\u2019s talented company: Each has a moment in which to shine and display immense vocal beauty. Zohar, Methvin and Campbell create characters about whom we really care. The show is especially suitable for Diversionary, which here reassumes its stratospheric stride.<\/p>\n When \u201cA New Brain\u201d premiered in New York in 1998, New York Times critic Ben Brantley remarked on its \u201ccaptivating eccentricity,\u201d then decried it as a \u201cprivate party.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps it is, a paean to creativity and also to the kind of love that does not conform to what the larger society deems normal. In that sense, historically, the time has come for \u201cA New Brain.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/A-New-Brain-130.websiteweb.jpg\")
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(Photo by Rich Soublet II)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"(Photo](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/A-New-Brain-233.websiteweb-300x248.jpg\")
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<\/a>Don\u2019t even think of missing it.<\/p>\n