Catching up with Mike Birbiglia and his ‘New One’ at La Jolla Playhouse

Jan. 4, 2018 11 AM PT

Mike Birbiglia is all about truth in advertising — or at least titling. His solo show “Sleepwalk With Me” (also adapted as a movie and a book) really was spurred by his own misadventures in sleepwalking, while his Lucille Lortel Award-winning “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” chronicled some of his actual romantic debacles.

So even if the title of “The New One” doesn’t tell you much about what’s on Birbiglia’s mind this time around, it does accurately capture the fact that this is, well … not those other shows.

The solo piece from the wide-ranging comic-actor-performer opens a five-day run next week at La Jolla Playhouse. Its style should be familiar to those who know Birbiglia from his other one-man shows; or his work as a longtime contributor to the public radio program “This American Life”; or even his acting roles in (among others) the TV series “Orange is the New Black” and the films “Trainwreck” and “Don’t Think Twice,” the latter of which he also wrote and directed.

We caught up with Birbiglia via email to find out what’s new with “The New One”:

Q: Without giving too much away (we hope!), is there a particular focus to “The New One”?

A: I appreciate your deference toward not giving anything away, because I’ve been really going out of my way to not say almost anything about this new show.

My favorite movies this year were “Lady Bird,” “The Big Sick,” “Get Out” and “The Florida Project,” and what I tell people is that the greatest gift I can give them is to go see these movies — don’t watch a trailer, do not read a review, just go see it.

I feel that way about theater, movies and this show. I will say that if you like “Sleepwalk With Me,” “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and “Thank God for Jokes,” then you’ll like “The New One.” If you don’t like those, then I don’t think it’s for you.

Q: You’ve worked in a lot of different creative forms – film, books, radio. What is it about live performance that you maybe don’t find in those other media, and that keeps you doing it?

A: Its the first of those media that I did professionally. I worked the door at the Washington D.C. Improv comedy club when I was in college, so I got a taste of it when I was really young and I immediately fell in love with it.

As the years have gone by and I’ve done other things, I’ve made “Sleepwalk With Me” and “Don’t Think Twice,” and I’ve done roles in “Orange is the New Black, “Trainwreck” and other people’s projects, and I’ve come to understand that movies and TV are really special, but there’s no substitute for live performance.

There’s literally so substitute for human beings standing in front of a group of human beings and attempting to connect with them and relay their most vulnerable sides. It’s an age-old art form that can’t go away. It literally can’t go away because it’s sort of the simplest form of art. Just one person speaking to a group of people. That’s why I think it’s so special.

Q: Do you think of your solo shows as theater? (And just to make this an essay question: If so, why? If not, why not?)

A: I personally view them as theater, but I also don’t really care what people call them. Some people call my shows one-person shows, some people call them standup comedy, some people call them storytelling, and all of those are perfectly fine.

I think the bottom line is that I want to create something that is funny and along the way makes people feel something. Those are sort of my two goals. The bottom line is I always want the audience to laugh and have a good time. That’s always my goal. Secondarily, I want people to feel things the way they would at a play, and sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn’t.

Q: I understand one of the stories in “The New One” takes place at the beach. Can you say much more about that – and are you going to hit the beach while you’re here in San Diego? (Pro tip: Pack a wetsuit.)

A: First of all, thanks for the pro tip. Second of all, yes, I’m definitely going to hit the beach! I love La Jolla. I love San Diego. My wife will be joining me and I feel very lucky to be performing in a place that also just so happens to be breathtaking.

Q: In Sarah Ruhl’s play “The Clean House,” there’s a story about how a man came up with a joke that made his wife laugh so hard she died. Are there any health warnings that should be attached to your material in “The New One”?

A: I don’t think anything in my show will make you physically die, but it might be a cure of some kind. I’m not sure for what, but I think it might be a cure for something.