Mike Birbiglia is back with his latest stellar one man show

Joan Marcus

You may recall actor and comedian Mike Birbiglia from his minor roles in Trainwreck, Billions, or Orange is the New Black, or perhaps his previous indie movie based on his unusual and dangerous sleep disorder. But although the dude pops up every now and again, his real talent is in live performance. Connecting with an audience in person isn’t always a better move for people, but Mike knows exactly the level to interact with the crowd, with knowing looks and mild acknowledgements of reactions — no cursing at hecklers or pointing at weird mustache-havers.

The New One is Mike’s latest one man show, his storytelling conversational act akin to a standup show. Honestly it might as well be that, because despite a few clever uses of props and lights, it’s essentially a comedy routine. And the laughs increase significantly over time, at least for me, and I’m not an easy mark for that sort of thing. If I actually laugh out loud, you know it’s quality stuff.

Mike effortlessly builds his storylines based on his real life through the show, reaching a perfect closing point that pulls it all together. The show is primarily Mike telling the story of how he and his wife had a new daughter after years of not wanting any children. His self-effacing and engaging style keeps you invested from beginning to end, and there are also some killer lines, and a few mild ‘did he just say that?’ shots.

There are some aspects of the show that are a bit more of the heartwarming side of things, although Mike always makes sure to leave the audience on a laughing line. I have to admit, I never really saw much of Mike Birbiglia’s comedy before, although I had heard him in podcasts and knew about his Sleepwalk with Me indie movie. He’s got a great energy, at first coming up genially and pleasant, so when the big volume moments come later, it feels surprising but not in a harsh way.

Essentially he knows what he’s doing.

Mike Birbiglia has his famous fans, and you may even spot one or two hidden in the crowd as the show ends — although I’d recommend not hounding them for autographs. The overall pace of the show flows without issue, and I only began to wonder how long it had been near the very end. A good sign for a comedy show. Comedy is pretty subjective, so I can’t say this will appeal to everyone — but it has a pretty evident universality to the material, and it’s essentially only about a PG-13 level of ‘adult’ content. And that’s pretty unusual for a comedian who’s even remotely good these days.

If you can get a chance to check out his show, I’d highly recommend it — the hour and change will likely just fly by and you’ll feel entertained in the head and heart, the perfect combination.

Mike Birbiglia’s The New One runs about 1 hours and 20 minutes with no intermission.