‘MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL
Written by Mike Birbiglia
Directed by Seth Barrish
Through January 15, 2023
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
150 West 65th Street

(212-239-6200), www.mikebirbigliabroadway.com

By David NouNou

When a lot people have lost their everyday humor and comedy has become harder to do, when a standup comedy routine could cancel a comic in a heartbeat, somehow—as he did in his last outing on Broadway, The New One in 2018, about his neurosis and the birth of his baby girl—Mike Birbiglia scores and gets big laughs by joking about things to which most of us can relate, including the not-always-funny topic of midlife emotional and physical health.  In Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool, Mr. Birbiglia has managed to hit another home run.

One-man shows can be very hit-and-miss and can be interminably drab vanity projects (as evidenced last month) and one becomes very leery of them. However, Mr. Birbiglia’s one-man show provides humor in the purest and most guileless of ways. The slings and arrows aren’t directed at anyone but himself. He doesn’t display vanity but tries to provide genuine comic relief through the anguish he’s endured in his life through the health issues he’s had and survived.

Mr. Birbiglia is 44, Catholic, married to a Jewish girl Jennie and has a daughter Oona, and they play a huge part in his act. His love for them is heartachingly genuine and he never uses them as the brunt of his jokes but fellow travelers in his journey of maladies.

Mr. Birbiglia suffers from a sleep-walking disorder (the basis for his 2008 Off-Broadway show and 2012 indie film Sleepwalk with Me). At 21, he had early cancer detection for bladder cancer that he miraculously beat. At 34, he learned he had type 2 diabetes, etc. He has been diagnosed by many doctors and told to do many different regimens to remedy his maladies. Without giving you more detail, you have to hear about his treatment of swimming lessons at the YMCA. A genuine sidesplitting classic.

Mr. Birbiglia has the affability of a middle-aged standup Tom Hanks. There even is a slight resemblance and the storytelling has the same warm delivery but Mr. Birbiglia is an original. He writes his own material for his shows, stars in them, and leaves the audience, proverbially speaking, rolling in the aisles.

You might think that an evening discussing one’s own aliments might be a drag, but Mr. Birbiglia, under the deft direction of Seth Barrish, has turned his literal and figurative pain into funny fodder for our enjoyment and makes our ailments more bearable. For an evening of non-stop hilarity, this is the comedy you’ve been waiting for. Think of it as an early Christmas/Chanukah gift, courtesy of Mike Birbiglia.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 13, 2022
Reviewed at November 12, 2022 press preview performance.

‘MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

‘MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

‘MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

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‘LACKAWANNA BLUES’: Ruben Santiago-Hudson (center) & (seated) Junior Mack. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

LACKAWANNA BLUES
Written & directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Through November 12, 2021
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.manhattantheatreclub.com

By David NouNou

Set in Lackawanna, New York, past and present, this is an autobiographical play in which Ruben Santiago-Hudson portrays himself as the child Ruben, and the adult version of himself as well as multiple characters from the past fondly remembered. Mostly it is a beautiful tribute to his adopted grandmother, Nanny, Ms. Rachel Crosby.

Nanny took him under her wing at an early age when he was left in her care by his mother. On multiple occasions he states that she was more like a mother to him. Nanny took him everywhere and they shared their life together. Along the way many characters crossed their path. Mr. Santiago-Hudson imbues all these characters, good or bad, with humanity and respect. Utmost is his respect for Ms. Rachel. Their love and their bond is palpable. Not only is the love and respect coming from Mr. Santiago Hudson, but from the many people whose lives Ms. Rachel touched. Their stories are told in little vignettes.

Mr. Santiago-Hudson has written this play and directed it in such a vivid way that you can visualize Nanny and all the quirky characters they both met along the way. You can almost taste the glazed ham and the cornbread that Nanny made for him and all her boarders. The show is mostly noteworthy for the mega-talented Mr. Santiago-Hudson himself. His performance is absolutely riveting, from the twinkle in his eyes when he impersonates Nanny to the tears in his eyes at the end.

Mr. Santiago-Hudson is accompanied by the brilliant guitarist Junior Mack, who anchors the mood of the play with a soulful blues style. Incidentally, in addition to his many talents as actor, playwright/director Mr. Santiago-Hudson is an excellent harmonica player.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 5, 2021
Reviewed at November 4, 2021 performance.

‘LACKAWANNA BLUES’: Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

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‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

Special Event Review

KNOCK KNOCK
Written & Performed by Niv Petel
Artistic Advisor: Maia Levy
Set & Costume Designer: Rhiannon White
Original Light Design by Oliver Bush
United Solo Festival on Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
(212-239-6200), www.unitedsolo.org
http://www.knockknockplay.co.uk/

By Scott Harrah

Israeli performer Niv Petel’s one-man show Knock Knock is a provocative depiction of what a parent experiences raising a child in Israel, a country with mandatory military service starting at age 18. Mr. Petel performed the show in New York on November 12^th as part of the 2018 United Solo Theatre Festival before continuing on to Philadelphia.

The show opens with Mr. Petel humming a haunting, eerie tune while via expressive mime, pretends to be a soldier sewing himself up. It is a jarring opening to the show but sets the grim tone for a sober subject: The reality of any parent raising a child in Israel, knowing that, because of compulsory service, all children can die once they reach 18 and go into combat.

Mr. Petel portrays Ilana, an army liaison officer. He faces the audience as Illana, as if we are her son, Elad. We see Illana act out through mime, dialogue, props like hats and sunglasses and simple lighting, the early days of Elad’s life. To portray Elad as a baby, Mr. Petel has a towel wrapped up cleverly to look like an infant.

In this world where every child is destined to be a soldier, Illana is a metaphor for most Israeli parents. The story focuses on Elad’s life as a baby up until he is old enough for combat. We see Illana’s frustration about the inevitable as Mr. Petel performs numerous short physical sequences. Although it’s not always clear what he is doing—with his fluid body movements and staccato sound effects—he is like an ebullient Middle Eastern version of the late Robin Williams.

Some of the most powerful, moving scenes involve Ilana making a video call to Elad when he is finally away serving and she is unable to reach him. The horror on Illana’s face is heartbreaking.

The title Knock Knock refers to the job Illana has in the military. She must knock on the doors of parents and inform them that their child has been killed in combat. For a solo show actor as gifted as Mr. Petel, it is truly a treat seeing him act out Illana and Elad and hearing all his own sound effects. He’s often like a human jukebox, able to replicate different types of music and sounds.

Expository narrative is needed to bond with the audience because it is such an intimate experience. Some spoken background information might make the show more accessible to U.S. audiences because most Americans are unfamiliar with how the Israeli military works and may not know all the political details of what it is like to live in Israel, a country in which Illana says people either learn to live with the fighting or “in spite of it.”

Knock Knock ultimately has a universal theme that has nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It shows what parents of all nationalities, ethnicities and religions experience when their child is either sent off to war or placed in some type of danger.

Published November 16, 2018
Reviewed at November 12, 2018 performance.

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Chris Gardner

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo:Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

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‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE NEW ONE
Written by Mike Birbiglia
Directed by Seth Barrish
Through January 20, 2019
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
New York, N.Y.
212-239-6200, www.thenewone.com

By David NouNou

The New One focuses on a hilarious rite of passage as a gentle soul regales the audience with his life ups and downs and we relate to his travails in one form or another.

The show starts with solo writer/performer Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me) in his early 20s obtaining his first important purchase, a couch, and all the events that take place on this couch. He jokes about the diagnosis of his various ailments over the years and the comfort he got from the couch, the times he’s shared with his wife and cat on this couch, and eventually his daughter’s takeover of the couch.

Throughout this journey, Mr. Birbiglia guides us into his personal thoughts and viewpoints on his life. From the onset he warns us that he never wanted to have a child because of his weak gene pool and his dislike of children. Before he got married, he and his wife decided they would never have any kids, especially when all their friends and relatives constantly told them how kids change their life and the joy they bring is boundless. Well, as every good thing has to come to an end, their life as a duo changes when his wife announces she is pregnant.

The next stage is coming to grips with the pregnancy and the expectancy of becoming a father and all the changes it entails. Of course, there is the birth of a child, and it’s a girl. Again more changes ensue until the final resolution. This journey is a nonstop roller coaster of unbridled storytelling and Mr. Birbiglia is a consummate pro. His ease of recounting his past is consistent hilarity and his humor is never forced and in your face. He just glides, smooth as butter.

Seth Barrish, the director, has paced the evening with a smooth flow and keeps everything a constant delight. The New One is a clever, insightful look at how even guys who never wanted to can become great dads. Mike Birbiglia rules.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 15, 2018
Reviewed at November 14, 2018 press performance.

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE NEW ONE’: Mike Birbiglia. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘STORIES BY HEART’: John Lithgow. Photo: Joan Marcus

JOHN LITHGOW: STORIES BY HEART
Adapted & performed by John Lithgow
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Through March 4, 2018
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

John Lithgow pays homage to his late actor/producer father Arthur Lithgow in John Lithgow: Stories by Heart. Mr. Lithgow recalls how his father used to tell him bedtime stories. Young John was eight at the time and he would sit with his three siblings and listen to his dad. He told them stories that regaled them as well as opened their minds and their imaginations. He told these stories from a collection of short stories that acts as the family bible of tales that has been saved from one generation (Mr. Lithgow, Sr.) to the current Mr. Lithgow.

The show centers around two stories: Act I focuses on Ring Lardner’s “Haircut,” a tale about a gossiping barber in a small rural town and the consequences of gossiping. Act II focuses on P. G. Wodehouse’s “Uncle Fred Flits By.” Uncle Fred, a nobleman from the suburbs, comes to London to visit his nephew, Pongo. On this visit, Uncle Fred takes Pongo on a tour of a former estate that now has been sold and intermingles with the current inhabitants and shows them a comeuppance.

In the process of narrating both stories, Mr. Lithgow portrays both the barber as well as Uncle Fred deliciously. The barber tale is told for pure entertainment with a moral twist. Uncle Fred, on the other hand, was told to Mr. Lithgow Sr. by Mr. Lithgow Jr. in 2002 to snap him out of depression after a near-fatal surgery at the age of 86. This was a tale that helped Mr. Lithgow, Sr. snap back to life and helped him to find laughter again.

John Lithgow is a consummate actor who has been acting on the New York stages since his Broadway debut in 1973 in David Storey’s The Changing Room, winning his first of two Tony Awards. Mr. Lithgow has been a movie star with two Oscar nominations thus far and recently won an Emmy Award for playing Winston Churchill in Netflix’s “The Crown.” Mr. Lithgow is a pro who always delivers the best.

This venture is no exception. It is a labor of love and it is evident by the reverence Mr. Lithgow shows his father. He fills the stage with his presence. However, as a Broadway show, it lacks the substance to sustain an evening of entertainment. Both segments tend to ramble and could have been edited to perform both tales in one enjoyable act. As it stands, with two acts it stretches and loses impact. Daniel Sullivan directs the episodes tightly, but unfortunately they are not edited enough. The intentions are good but the breadth is too minimal to sustain a two-act show.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 15, 2018
Reviewed at January 14, 2018 press performance.

‘STORIES BY HEART’: John Lithgow. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘STORIES BY HEART’: John Lithgow. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER’: Michael Moore. Photo: Joan Marcus

MICHAEL MOORE: THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER
Written by Michael Moore
Directed by Michael Mayer
Through October 22, 2017
Belasco Theatre
111 West 44th Street.
(212-239-6200), www.MichaelMooreOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Hatred, bigotry, antisemitism and white supremacy have gotten so out of hand in this country that it is time to listen to Michael Moore. Whether you liked or disliked him in the past as a person, or thought his viewpoints and thinking were too radical, you must hear and listen to him now. If you have been revolted by Donald Trump’s lack of action and viewpoints, intolerable behavior and the many ways he has divided the nation, it is time to listen to Michael Moore.  If the last seven months have seemed like seven interminable years, and you have had enough of the “fire and fury,” “de-nuke the world,” bombastic rhetoric of a maniacal, egotistical, showboating, narcissistic, bullying, and totally incompetent president, one who calls the media “fake news” and spews “alternate facts,” then I suggest you rush to the Belasco Theatre for a cathartic, amusing and healing evening in the theater.

Sure, there are myriads of late-night TV show hosts and comics who have been spreading the gospel of anti-Trumpism: Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah, Seth Meyer, etc. Thank God for all of them. However, there is a certain filter to them that has to fit to the confines and restraints of television parameters.  Michael Moore has no filter, he is passionate in telling the truth (although at times preachy) about the mess that this man has created in the White House, the nation and around the world with our allies.

After all, Michael Moore is a documentarian (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Roger and Me). He is now documenting Trump and all the lunacy that surrounds him. The evening is not all Trump-bashing; there are many amusing anecdotes from his youth where a majority of one (a shy Michael Moore) makes a difference. It is his stories that make the show memorable and it is best that he tells them himself. He also has tales of Flint, Michigan and the daily death threats he’s received ever since he won the Oscar for Bowling in Columbine and the speech he made that night at the Academy Awards. The man has many anecdotes to tell and they are very heartfelt. Michael Mayer, the director, must be given a lot of credit for pacing these tales and the passion of the man telling them.

If Trump has his “base”, it’s only fair that Michael Moore has his “base” as well and hopefully it will be a growing one. There is even a plea for him to run for president in 2020. One can only hope.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 17, 2017
Reviewed at August 16, 2017 press performance.

‘THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER’: Michael Moore. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER’: Michael Moore. Photo: Joan Marcus

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