MIKE BIRBIGLIA: MY GIRLFRIENDS BOYFRIEND written and performed by Birbiglia. Presented by Just For Laughs at the Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley) to July 10. See Listings. $32.50. 416-368-3110, hahaha.com. Rating: NNNN
Mike Birbiglia’s the underdog you cheer for, the regular guy with the growing paunch and receding hairline who gets instant empathy. It’s hard to imagine anyone not loving his act.
I saw him kill doing a half hour of stand-up at Just For Laughs two years ago, and now he comes with his new solo show, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, which is more a night of storytelling than comedy. There are plenty of laughs, but there are stretches where you could literally hear a pin drop. You may even hear a sob or two from the audience. He’s finally found his medium.
On a bare stage, Birbiglia recounts his relationship history, beginning with his girlfriend Jenny and then flashing back to his grade school memories of romance (or what he calls “losing his mouth virginity), which include tragicomic high school dances and one carnival outing that involved the Scrambler and getting sick. His physical description of the Scrambler is a terrific set piece.
Birbiglia also gives us his reasons – damn straight – on why he doesn’t want to get married. All of this is bookended by a description of a car accident that makes him reexamine his life and his relationship. He brings props to help illustrate that car accident, including the botched police report of the accident and a scrawled message on a very used napkin.
To say he delivers this artfully is misleading. The thing is craftily put together, but he doesn’t bring attention to how he’s constructed it. Along with his earlier monologue, Sleepwalk With Me, he’s created a new kind of comic performance that’s completely absorbing and needs to be seen – and experienced – live.[rssbreak]
