The New One
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Cititour.com Review
Is there anyone out there in either the comedy world or the theatrical scene capable of delivering more laughs per minute than Mike Birbiglia? I don’t think so. And in the case of his hilarious new solo show, “The New One,” now at the Cherry Lane Theatre, “delivering” is the key word. As one might have guessed, the ultimate focus of this rollicking 80-minute diversion (smoothly directed by Seth Barrish) is Birbiglia’s not completely willing entry into parenthood.
Still, as in his other solo shows, one isn’t entirely sure from the beginning what “The New One” is actually going to be about. Birbiglia spends the earliest sections of the show ruminating on the importance of the family couch, recounting his reactions to his visit with his “loser” brother (not coincidentally, a parent of two kids) and freely expressing his general dislike of children (especially on airplanes).
But it doesn’t take long for us to catch on where this story will end up. First, Birbiglia outlines – in often side-splitting detail – his seven reasons why he shouldn’t be conceiving a child (which include some rather unusual medical conditions), followed by an even more graphic, yet wonderfully self-effacing section about his sperm’s failure to swim and the rather gruesome-sounding corrective measure needed to reverse course.
Here, as has always been true when watching this singular comic performer, one has to admire Birbiglia’s willingness to expose his shortcomings (not physically, of course), discuss his most embarrassing moments, as well as espouse his very singular (and perhaps not always popular) views on life. And, as always, part of his trademark charm is that you’ll probably want to be his best friend when all is said and done.
Most of all, one is struck by Birbiglia’s overwhelming love for his wife Jen (whom, for some reasons he may have once explained, he calls Clo), which is why he agrees to go on this life-changing journey he claims he never wanted to embark on. And while there is one major surprise in the show’s final section, it is nonetheless a bit more sentimental and conventional than all that has preceded it. Indeed, the ground being covered by Birbiglia begins to feel a bit too well-trod for its own good.
Indeed, for all its belly laughs and whip-smart observations, “The New One” is essentially an age-old story told with just a few 21st-century touches.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.cherrylanetheatre.org/onstage/the-new-one/
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/18/2018
Closing 8/26/2018
Theatre Info
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014
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