"A NEW BRAIN," through Nov. 15, The Old Post Theatre, Fort Douglas (801-581-7100); running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

In the early '90s, composer lyricist William Finn was hospitalized with arteriovenous malformation — a condition that required him to undergo brain surgery.

That near-death experience is the basis for the musical "A New Brain," the latest offering by the new Dark Horse Company Theatre.

Gordon, who hates his job composing for a children's television show, collapses over lunch and is admitted to the hospital. While awaiting surgery, he is forced to think about his life, his work and musical contributions, and what matters most to him.

The musical premiered off Broadway in 1998 and had some success overseas. But, if I didn't know better, I would think that what I saw on Sunday night was still a workshop — a work in progress of an up-and-coming musical.

The material feels scattered, a bit random and just isn't cohesive enough to make one care.

That is not to say that some of the songs aren't lovely on their own, but when put together, the script lacks a connecting and engaging story line.

With that said, there were some performance that were well-worth the price of admission.

Jon McBride is wonderful in the lead role of Gordon. His voice is strong, warm and clear, and when Finn actually has melodies for McBride to sing, they are stunning.

Ditto for Rhett Richins, who plays Gordon's boyfriend. Richins' voice beautifully handles the more lyrical material in the show. The two together have some very lovely moments.

Julie Carrillo has a very strong voice, and her performance as a homeless lady

counselor is enjoyable, though the character itself gets way more of the story than it should.

And Karin Gittins' portrayal of Gordon's mom — trying to cheerily "fix" the problem — is also a stand out.

A small music ensemble provides the accompaniment, which is always nice, but for most of the evening, the band was louder than the singers, which made it tough to decipher the wordy show.

William Richardson's direction keeps the plodding story moving forward.

Besides the songs with McBride and Richins, the show's best moments are some of the group songs — "Heart and Music," "Time and Music" and "I Feel So Much Spring."

At the end of the night, I wanted to care more. I wanted to care more about Gordon and Roger, about Gordon's relationship with his mother, the nurses who cared for Gordon and, most importantly, Gordon's new lease on life.

But the dissonant songs and strange character solos get in the way of the true message: Gordon's transition into a more stable, happy person.

On the other hand, it is obvious the cast is participating purely because they are fans of the musical, and that shows.

Sensitivity rating: strong language.

e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com