Mike Birbiglia will appear in the world premiere of “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool” at Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum July 27-Aug. 28. (photo by Kim Newmoney)
The world premiere of “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool” opens at Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum on Aug. 3 and continues through Aug. 28 with previews running July 27 through Aug. 2. This one-man show is written and performed by Mike Birbiglia and directed by Seth Barrish.
On the heels of his award-winning Broadway show “The New One,” which made its West Coast premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre, comedian and storyteller Birbiglia returns to Center Theatre Group with a tale of life, death and a highly chlorinated YMCA pool. With his unique form of comedic storytelling, Birbiglia chronicles a coming-of-middle-age story that asks the big questions: Why are we here? What’s next? And what happens when the items at the doctor’s office that you thought were decorative become quite useful.
Birbiglia’s previous plays “Sleepwalk with Me,” “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and “Thank God for Jokes” all earned Lortel Award nominations for “Best Solo Show” with “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” winning the 2011 award. “The New One” won the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards for “Outstanding Solo Performance.”
Birbiglia is a comedian, storyteller, director and actor who has performed in front of audiences worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall. His shows, “The New One,” “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and “Thank God for Jokes,” were all filmed for Netflix. In addition to performing live, Birbiglia is an author and filmmaker who wrote, directed and starred in the films “Sleepwalk with Me” and “Don’t Think Twice.” His book “Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories” was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. As an actor, Birbiglia has appeared on “Inside Amy Schumer,” HBO’s “Girls” and “Broad City,” as well as in the films “Trainwreck,” “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Popstar.” He played the role of Danny Pearson on “Orange Is the New Black” and Oscar Langstraat on Showtime’s “Billions.” He is a contributor to “This American Life” on public radio and was honored with the 2017 Kurt Vonnegut Award for humor.
Seth Barrish is co-artistic director of The Barrow Group. For the Netflix presentations, Barrish was the director of “The New One” and “Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” as well as co-director of “Thank God for Jokes.”
Tickets for “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool” are currently on sale and start at $30. They are available through centertheatregroup.org, audience services at (213)628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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