Strange and/or interesting

Gordon Schwinn is a neurotic composer writing songs for a children's show who winds up in the hospital needing surgery for a brain condition. With his fate uncertain, Gordon sinks deeper and deeper into hallucinations (starring the colorful cast of characters from his real life) as he struggles to come to terms with his mortality, and to finish what could potentially be his very last song.

Favorite Song: "Thow It Out"

Favorite Lyric: "In this mood / I hear music / I dance nude / And won't close the blind / I think I'm finally losing my mind"

Favorite Moment: Everything Mary Testa does on the original cast recording

Who I Would Play: I do a really good Roger

"Heart and Music" is really the perfect descriptor for this show because those are the two things it has in spades. A very touching, warmly human story, stuffed with some of the most heartfelt AND off-kilter songs you'll ever hear in a musical. William Finn is at his most William Finn here, indulging himself in all of the idiosyncrasies that define his work without any sort of shame, and the results are really beautiful to listen to.

I don't love the revisions the 2014 revival made to the show, partially because I think they're just less satisfying musically but mostly because I think that in the pursuit of making the show "cleaner," they hacked away at the most interesting aspect of the show, which is the raw emotion of it all. The show is sprawling and strange and nonsensical, but it always makes emotional sense because you can always feel the truth of what's being said radiating through.

It's about grief, it's about love, it's about art, it's about the ways that we spend our time and the people we spend it with. And it's about frogs. Really, what more could you ask for?

15 years old: i was so cringe when i was twelve, i'm super mature now though. i'm a totally different person. i'm basically an adult

18 years old: i was so. (trying to be nicer to myself) fifteen. when i was fifteen. i wasn't an adult even a little back then. i'm an adult now though of course

21 years old: i was so newborn fawn taking its first steps when i was 18. i wasn't an adult at 18 i'm barely even an adult now tbh

23 years old: i was so. hey wait the others have all gone up in increments of three why'd it change

23 years old: because i'm still 23 so i can't speak to that experience yet

23 years old: do you think anything will magically change in the next few months to the point where you can't possibly imagine how you'll feel at 24

23 years old: i mean you never know. anything can happen. they're letting people born in 2002 turn 24, for instance