Previews for the Broadway premiere of Mike Birbiglia’s solo comedy The New One begin in just a few days (Thursday, October 25, 2018 ) at the Cort Theatre. Written by and starring Birbiglia, The New One is set to open officially on Sunday, November 11 for a limited run currently through Sunday, January 20, 2019.
Just got my ticket through TDF for Saturday night. It appears he's not changing it much, if at all, from the previous iteration, as, according to his social media, he just started rehearsing today. Looking forward to seeing what he does!
i mean hes been touring and essentially workshoppin g it for 2 years, maybe a line or two is going to change, be removed or added but i didnt think it was gonna change massively from Cherry Lane
I'm seeing this Saturday afternoon (thanks TDF), I'm excited because Mike Birbiglia was one of my first favorite comics and I've seen him live a few times (but mostly in intimate venues, like UCB or bar back rooms), but never on Broadway.
I’m looking forward to seeing how a wider audience feels about Birbiglia on Broadway. I love his work, and saw this show at the Cherry Lane. That said, I feel like most people who have seen him were already fans.
Also SET SPOILER but I’m so curious as to how that set change is going to happen at the Cort. I was in awe when the baby items dropped onto the stage, and hope they can make it an even bigger spectacle in a bigger house
Saw tonight's first preview. I had no idea who Mike Birbiglia was, I did not even realize this was a stand-up comedy act. I'm a gay man and I was pretty disappointed. He lays into that cliche of comedy - self deprecation. He borrows from some straight white men who panic at their marginal loss of privilege, and hammers on the importance of himself in respect to others. He is not a misogynist, but through his routine expects the audience to identify and sympathize to the crises (some listed below) that he has experienced. I was largely not convinced. I think I’ll stick to queer comedians.
A prostate exam. That medical necessity that heterosexual men consider a highly embarrassing and demeaning procedure. A well lubed finger inserted where a straight male would not desire to publicly admit.
A disappointing encounter with a prostitute. Erectile disfunction, premature ejaculation, the price of $200, tied into a joke.
Sleepwalking, precautionary measures taken to avoid injury to oneself or others. A joke.
Inadequate sperm movement, the promise not to have a child, the spitefulness of said sperm movement, a reluctant pregnancy. A joke.
The birth of that child. The emotions of being a father. The loneliness of being a father, being the third wheel in a mother-daughter-father relationship. A bit of emotional depth, finally.
*spoiler* The one element of theatricality was the largely empty stage suddenly being filled with props to be found in a kid's room, falling from above the stage. Was reminded a bit of "Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties", just all at once.
Others might highly enjoy this. Some people at today's half-empty performance were very amused.
l0l said: "Saw tonight's first preview. I had no idea who Mike Birbiglia was, I did not even realize this was a stand-up comedy act. I'm a gay man and I was pretty disappointed. He lays into that cliche of comedy - self deprecation. He borrows from some straight white men who panic at their marginal loss of privilege, and hammers on the importance of himself in respect to others. He is not a misogynist, but through his routine expects the audience to identify and sympathize to the crises (some listed below) that he has experienced. I was largely not convinced. I think I’ll stick to queer comedians.
A prostate exam. That medical necessity that heterosexual men consider a highly embarrassing and demeaning procedure. A well lubed finger inserted where a straight male would not desire to publicly admit.
A disappointing encounter with a prostitute. Erectile disfunction, premature ejaculation, the price of $200, tied into a joke.
Sleepwalking, precautionary measures taken to avoid injury to oneself or others. A joke.
Inadequate sperm movement, the promise not to have a child, the spitefulness of said sperm movement, a reluctant pregnancy. A joke.
The birth of that child. The emotions of being a father. The loneliness of being a father, being the third wheel in a mother-daughter-father relationship. A bit of emotional depth, finally.
*spoiler* The one element of theatricality wasthe largely empty stage suddenly being filled with props to be found in a kid's room, falling from above the stage. Was reminded a bit of "Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties", just all at once.
Others might highly enjoy this. Some people at today's half-empty performance were very amused."
No need to be a dick towards someone posting their honest thoughts on something. I wouldn’t want to sit through a straight male making jokes about prostate exams, either. And I’m a hoot at parties.
In our defense, you went in not knowing anything about the show. I mean, I've learned I don't like revue shows. I need a plot. So I stay away from those. Etc.
I’m a huge Mike Birbiglia fan, and wish I could see this (his tour never came to my city).
The review above makes it sound like he is rehashing some of his old material, ie the sleepwalking stories, invasive medical procedures, and such. However, I’m thrilled to hear that the hidden meaning of the title is, apparently, a baby. My wife and I also have a “new one” and it sounds like it could be a very meaningful show. However, I understand why 101 wouldn’t like him. His target audience is young(ish) straight males, so...it’s kind of the opposite of most Broadway shows, lol. I’m curious to see how big of an audience this gets.
I was there last night and as a gay man wasn’t particularly offended but a little disappointed with the prostrate bit too. It’s such a cliché for straight comedians to do and I think Birbiglia is better than that.
I will say that overall I enjoyed the show. I think Birbiglia is a great storyteller and I appreciate that for his Broadway show he added a bit of theatricality. I was moved by the story of him becoming a father. I think this actually works pretty well in a Broadway house, though I was rear orchestra (TDF) not in the balcony to which it could be problematic.
I think it’s a fun 90 minutes and I definitely had a chuckle about the “You saved my best friend” moment
It looks like his wife is credited as co-writer, so if his material sounds a bit sexist at least his wife had a say in that sexism??? Haha. To be honest I loved his routine when he came to Chicago. I loved how he tied everything together right at the last moment. He’s not like other comedians where it seems like they go from one topic to another and don’t really connect the two. Mike is more of a story kind of person and I love that.
I remember the Times review of this off-broadway was summed up as "I don't like Mike Birbiglia as a person, so I don't like this show."
I happen to love his work, and I think his Sleepwalk With Me stand-up set is one of the most brilliant things I've listened to in years. It really got me into the modern stand-up world, realizing that stand-up is more than just jokes, it's storytelling.
I'll get to this eventually -- it's on TDF for pretty much every performance. Very excited, despite him going for what seems like "easy" jokes.
Regarding the prostate exam jokes, as someone who has had many (due to chronic prostatitis), they are indeed extremely painful. There is also something about being told by a stranger to pull down your pants, bend over, and stick your bare ass in the air so they can feel around in there that is psychologically very difficult. I imagine a gay man would feel the same way. It’s extremely invasive on every level.
I went last night and enjoyed it a lot. The more you know his work already, the more you'll like it, since he continues to build on jokes already in his canon ("I said to her, 'Chlo,' her name's Jen," etc). But you by any means need to know his work to enjoy it...just an extra perk I suppose. I always appreciate how open and vulnerable he is about his personal issues. The set change came out of nowhere, as intended, and was very effective.
I waited at the stage door, and he came out after about 20-30 minutes. Only a small crowd of maybe 15-20 folks stayed, so he took his time in signing and taking pictures. Really nice guy.
Saw the matinee today and wasn’t familiar with Birbiglia’s work before this. I liked his style of delivery and the way the modulated his voice before hitting a punchline/word. He’d often be barreling through a sentence before hitting us with a surprise pause, gulp and unexpected word.
I did find the material less compelling than his style and would like to see him in a different setting. The crowd was a lot of young, straight couples and they seemed to be pretty into it.
You know when you watch a sitcom and here a certain joke and think, “there’s definitely at least one gay guy in that writer’s room?” Well, this definitely didn’t have the gay friend give the material a quick look see. That’s not to say that it was homophobic, but it wasn’t in the least (Mike seems as liberal-minded as can be), but stretches about finally being able to screw without a condom to get his wife pregnant or being shocked by the hardcore nature of his doctor office’s porn probably won’t resonate too much with the gay crowd. Still, straight people deserve to have comedy made for them too, I suppose.
The best part was the scenic surprise, so nice job there. Wish I had paid like $25, instead of $49, but it was fine.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
The Distinctive Baritone said: "Regarding the prostate exam jokes, as someone who has had many (due to chronic prostatitis), they are indeed extremely painful. There is also something about being told by a stranger to pull down your pants, bend over, and stick your bare ass in the air so they can feel around in there that is psychologically very difficult. I imagine a gay man would feel the same way. It’s extremely invasive on every level."
I get them yearly. I'm a gay man. It is still quite invasive and embarrassing. My doctor isn't cute and I feel like he is judging me. Now this would make a good bit.
joined:7/24/15
joined:
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Posted: 10/23/18 at 6:09pm