“The Old Man and the Pool”: The Comedy of Mike Birbiglia reviewed by Julia W. Rath

[rating=3]Mike Birbiglia is a comic who tries to put talk about death, sickness, and dying in as funny a light as possible. Sometimes he succeeds and sometimes he doesn’t, depending on your expectations and your sense of humor. Birbiglia bases his one-man comedy routine on his autobiography, replete with sadness and tragedy. He nicely interweaves diverse anecdotes and reflections throughout his 80-minute performance, and this part is well done: We never lose interest in his story. My guest and I laughed at some of the jokes, but far from all. We seemed to be in the minority. The audience was roaring, and most gave him a standing ovation at the end.

“The Old Man and the Pool” is titled as such, because at the beginning of Birbiglia’s act, he describes an old man sitting by a swimming pool in not the most flattering of terms. He has to describe the smelly pool and the disgusting man, using, what I would term, a very juvenile sense of humor, not my fave way to view things. By the time the show is over, however, you realize that he has been really talking about himself the whole time. I felt so sorry that at age 43 he had already had to go through so many health challenges. He has suffered from bladder cancer and is currently suffering from heart problems and type 2 diabetes. From the onset, he makes it clear that both his father and grandfather had heart attacks at age 56 and that he has always found it hard to relate to old men… until he realizes that he is slowly becoming one. And maybe an old man does have a lot to say about life after all.

I especially liked the part when he kept saying all sorts of needless and inappropriate things to his cardiologist. But there were far too moments when the audience was laughing at inconsequential lines that may have been building up to something else. My antenna went up, however, when audience members were laughing at pieces of stories that weren’t funny, regardless of what your sense of humor might be. For example, when Birbiglia said that he wanted to write out a will, he got a big laugh—and it wasn’t anything to laugh about. One could argue that perhaps this line might have been humorous in context, but it didn’t feel like gallows humor. All I could think of was that he had a good audience. Too good, perhaps. All I could think of was, “I wish I had friends like that… or maybe it’s better that I don’t.” My guest was particularly clued into one man a few rows ahead of us who guffawed at practically each word the comic said, to the point when it became absurd.

For my part, I know far too many people with health challenges or who have been lost in recent years, so while one wants to laugh one’s tzuris away, it’s not so easy. And I’m not certain that Birbliglia would have gotten such a grand reception before a very different kind of audience. I am not writing this to add to any hurt or pain to an entertainer who is going through a lot in his personal and professional life. But for those who have gone through a heart attack or cancer or who are living with a chronic disease, much of the show is as funny as the disclaimers at the end of drug commercials that bombard our TV airwaves. Although I didn’t take a survey of the audience, it seemed as if those who were 21 to 35 years of age thought he was very funny, those 36 to 54 thought he was funny, and those of us 55 and above not so much.

My guest thought there was a problem with the sound system, considering that we were seated in the back row of the Downstairs Theater. On the other hand, I thought Birbiglia was swallowing his words at the end of sentences, especially when they ended in naughty bits. When he chose to annunciate, the sound system worked just fine. Perhaps his word choice was not exactly what I anticipated, so maybe that’s why I didn’t catch every one of his jokes. Then that was my failing, not his. After all, a younger generation may be attuned to very different turns of phrase than I am.

The content warning on the show is that it is recommended for those 12 years old and up; I would change it to 18 years and up, due to the segment about the talcum powder.

Although only in middle-age, Birbiglia has gradually faced the prospect of his own death, and that makes him start thinking more about why life is important to him and who is important to him. His monologue is well-crafted, and his storytelling is good; although the whole show, in my opinion, is ultimately very sad. If you’re young, healthy, and strong and think you’re going to live forever—or if you can easily compartmentalize your feelings of Der Weltschmerz—you probably will enjoy this type of tragic comedy.

“The Old Man and the Pool”, starring Mike Birbiglia and directed by Seth Barrish, is playing through May 22, 2022, in the Downstairs Theater, of the Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago.

Tickets start at $55 depending on the time and date of the performance. (Prices subject to change.)

Discounted tickets are available to Steppenwolf members.

Performance schedule:

Thursdays, Fridays – 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays – 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays – 8:00 p.m.

No performance on Mothers Day, Sunday, May 8th.

ASL Interpreted show – Friday, May 20

Extra performance – Sunday, May 22 – 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are available by visiting https://www.steppenwolf.org/TheOldManandThePool or by calling audience services at 312-335-1650.

For general information about the Steppenwolf Theatre and their offerings, go to: https://www.steppenwolf.org/.

All audience members need to wear masks and show proof of vaccination including a picture ID.
For more about Steppenwolf’s current COVID policies, see: https://www.steppenwolf.org/plan-your-visit/a-safe-return-faq/.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “”The Old Man and the Pool”:The Comedy of Mike Birbiglia.