Producers Sue Wagner (The Lehman Trilogy), John Johnson (The Lehman Trilogy), Patrick Catullo (David Byrne’s American Utopia; Oh, Hello) and Seaview (POTUS, Slave Play)are thrilled to announce the new solo play Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool will open on Broadway this fall at the esteemed Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. Written and performed by Screen Actors Guild, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lortel Award winner Mike Birbiglia, the play is directed by Seth Barrish (The New One), with contributions by Peabody Award-winning Story Consultant Ira Glass (This American Life). The Old Man & the Pool begins previews on Friday, October 28, 2022, with an official Opening Night of Sunday, November 13. The limited engagement will play 70 performances only, throughFriday, December 30. Tickets to Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Poolare on sale now at Telecharge.com/212-239-6200.
Birbiglia announced the news today during a guest appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Fallon exclaimed, “Mike Birbiglia returns to Broadway! Such big news from one of my favorite comedians…I’m so proud of you! I don’t want to give anything away for audiences, but there are so many great lines in [this show], I was texting Mike afterward—probably to the point he wanted to delete my number—because I couldn’t decide which line was my favorite.”
One of the greatest comedic storytellers, at the top of his game. On the heels of his award-winning show The New One, Mike Birbiglia returns to Broadway with a coming-of-middle-age story about when life takes a dive – into a highly-chlorinated YMCA pool. Propelled by his singular, insightful voice and everyman style, Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool is a wildly hilarious and deeply moving play that offers “a galvanic, endearing and very funny meditation on mortality – deftly using comedy to demonstrate that when you stop thrashing around and exist in the moment – you float.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
“In my 22 years of performing comedy, and five solo shows, The Old Man & the Pool has given me the most rewarding experience I’ve ever felt with audiences,” says Mike Birbiglia. “This is a show I’m very proud of, and I can’t believe I get to perform it at Lincoln Center Theater – after auditioning for the Philharmonic, the Opera, and the New York City ballet, I thought I’d never get the chance. But here I am. Sometimes you get lucky!”
Birbiglia continues, “It’s always been a cliché that audiences need to laugh but— honestly— after all we’ve been through in the last few years, people really do need to laugh. And sometimes, laughing about the darkest topics can be the most cathartic. I hope you join me. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll call your parents. You’ll write your will.”
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool was Originally Produced by Center Theatre Group and played to sold-out houses in its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, CA in 2022, following a sold-out developmental run at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Entertainment Weekly raved, “The artful storyteller Mike Birbiglia is excellent at his craft, and in The Old Man & the Pool, the comedian is at the top of his game. I felt connected to him. Hilarious observations unfold into tales that are charming and gripping. You never feel like he’s performing a bit, but rather like you’re throwing back a beer with your funniest friend.” Variety wrote, “The core of Mike Birbiglia’s charm is... he’s favorite-pair-of-jeans comfortable, and remarkably skilled at finding profundity in subjects well within arm’s reach. The Old Man & the Pool feels like catching up with an old friend – you never want him to shut up.”
Marking Birbiglia’s fifth solo play collaboration with director Seth Barrish, the play’s creative team also includes Tony Award-winning Scenic DesignerBeowulf Boritt (Act One, POTUS), four-time Tony Award Nominated Costume Designer Toni-Leslie James (Paradise Square, The Piano Lesson), Lighting Designer Aaron Copp (The New One, Falling Out of Time), Tony Award-winning Sound Designer Kai Harada (The Band’s Visit, Kimberly Akimbo), and Projection Designer Hana S. Kim (The Visitor, Eve's Song).
Tickets to Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool are on sale now at Telecharge.com/212-239-6200, and at the Lincoln Center Theater Box Office (150 W 65th Street, NYC). The regular performance schedule is: Tuesdays-Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 5PM. During previews (prior to November 13) the playing schedule is: Tuesdays-Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm & 7:30pm. Holiday week showtimes may vary – check Telecharge.com or www.MikeBirbigliaBroadway.com for the full schedule.
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool is produced on Broadway by Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Patrick Catullo, Seaview, and Center Theatre Group.