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The New One

Mike Birbiglia

Netflix · 2019 · 85 min

A quiet, theatrical monologue about the horrors of reluctant fatherhood.

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Mike Birbiglia begins his Broadway show with a heartfelt tribute to his couch. He likes comfort, he likes his routine, and he absolutely does not want a child. He has a highly specific list of reasons why, starting with a severe sleepwalking disorder that requires him to sleep zipped inside a sleeping bag to prevent him from jumping out of windows. The show charts how he was slowly worn down by his wife, Jen Stein, and eventually agreed to parenthood, only to face a barrage of medical hurdles and the harsh reality of becoming a bystander in his own home.

Filmed at the Cort Theatre in Manhattan, this 2019 Netflix release captured the culmination of a highly successful theatrical run directed by Seth Barrish. By this stage in his career, Birbiglia had moved away from traditional club comedy to define his own lane of narrative-driven, conversational solo shows. Instead of rushing from joke to joke, he lets the tension of his medical history—including a past bout with bladder cancer—and his own reluctance as a father carry the weight of the performance.

The set list

5 bits

  1. The couch as a central life metaphor

    Explores getting his first couch off the street in college and interactions with furniture salesmen, framing the couch as a symbol of comfort zones versus confronting life changes.

  2. Seven reasons why he never wanted to have a kid

    Launches into a structured multi-point list, diving deep into subordinate stories detailing his sleepwalking disorder, sleeping arrangements, and medical visits.

  3. Parents are like zombies

    Compares parents to zombies who can only be killed with a shotgun blast to the head, miming pumping a shotgun when his wife suddenly announces she wants a baby.

  4. The avalanche of baby gear

    Following his daughter's arrival home, an avalanche of foam-and-plush baby paraphernalia crashes down onto the stage, burying him as he desperately waves around items like Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit.

  5. The pudgy, milkless vice president of the family

    Details his early feelings of alienation and jealousy after his daughter is born, feeling relegated to a sideline character in his own household.

How it plays

Tone
Dark comedy blended with tender, vulnerable, poignant, and brutally honest personal reflection.
On stage
Conversational, neurotic, sincere, and deeply self-indicting exterior narrator of his own life experiences, presenting the appearance of an ordinary suburban white-collar worker.
Pace
Precision-crafted stroll with subtle variations between soft-spoken intimacy and loud, urgent delivery; sustained longform storytelling with long stretches between major humor releases.
About
fatherhood, reluctance to have children, marriage, aging and resistance to change, medical history and sleep disorders

What the critics said

Universally lauded for its narrative craft, emotional vulnerability, and inventive theatrical staging, seamlessly blending stand-up with dramatic one-man theatre.

In the room: Resonated strongly across generations, inspiring intense recognition, laughter, and emotional connection among parents and non-parents alike.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: playbill.com, imdb.com, ibdb.com, vulture.com, nytimes.com, chortle.co.uk, ew.com, newsweek.com.

Backstory

Autobiographical account of his ambivalence toward having children, struggles with a life-threatening sleep disorder, marital life with Jennifer Hope Stein, and becoming a father to daughter Oona.

Details

Released
Taped
Cort Theatre, New York City
Runtime
85 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Seth Barrish
Honors
2019 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo PerformanceThe New York Times Critic's Pick
Topics
Before
Thank God for Jokes (2017)
After
The Old Man & The Pool (2023)

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