Don’t think twice — just accept that Mike Birbiglia is coming back to the Great White Way with his new solo show, The Old Man and the Pool. “It’s about life and death and mortality and all these things people don’t want to talk about,†Birbiglia said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Birbiglia previously performed his show The New One on Broadway in 2019, and though Vulture wasn’t quite sure what it was, it was certainly very, very good. He had also performed his show My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend Off Broadway, the filmed version of which Vulture named the best stand-up special of 2013. (The New One was No. 3 of 2019. Basically, we <3 Birbiglia.) Now he’s back.
The Old Man and the Pool features preshow music by Questlove, discusses preexisting conditions, and includes the kind of content that makes people ask Birbiglia, “Are you okay?†That’s comedy, folks! The Old Man and the Pool will play the Vivian Beaumont from October 28 through Christmas. Get your tickets so your holidays can be both sweet and sad (which they were probably going to be anyway).