Mike Birbiglia's one man show "Sleepwalk With Me" at the Bleecker Street Theatre, in Greenwich Village, is a stand up act that grew up into a well crafted, hour and 1/2 soul exposing look at a troubled father son relationship, a life threatening illness, a crippling sleepwalking disorder and a broken engagement - all built on the foundation of tried and true material. It worked.
This appealing 30 year old comic welcomes us to join him in a look back at his long hard years of lonely thankless life on the road - comedy clubs, chaotic college gigs and crummy hotels and the combination mental jujitsu/self deception required to get over gigs that bomb - and he loved every minute.
Guys who are good- like Birbiglia - make it by perfecting a funny persona and solid "A laugh" material. Cracking up stoned college kids is one thing but moving on by sculpting his stand up act into a one man show that puts grown up asses in seats off Broadway and rocks the house night after night - now thats something!
OK here comes some critique - I'm being very generous about the house rocking - the laughs were steady - but stronger at different times from alternating parts of the crowd. There were also slow parts that could use tweaking. Nonetheless, the final applause from a smiling audience was long, strong and genuine.
The show feels like you're having a drink with a your vulnerable, unflinchingly honest, schlumpy, old college friend and repeatedly struggling not to spit out beer laughing as he brings you up to date on his years of repeatedly slipping on psychic bananna peels.
http://www.sleepwalkwithmike.com/
