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This review of Birbiglias Broadway show was originally published on November 13, 2022.
We are republishing it to mark the premiere of itsdebut on Netflix.
One ofMike Birbigliassimplest and best talents is his instinct for leaping from sprawling existential ideas to prosaic little experiences.
He is a master of translating between big and small things.
The premise rolls out, friendly and a little sharp.
Then, as the show crescendos, all those little narrative objects begin resonating within Birbiglias larger design.
And that, wouldnt you know it, is exactly whatThe Old Man and the Poolaims to accomplish.
He needs to eat better.
He should consider his family medical history.
Mostly, he should exercise.
Like a lot of Birbiglias work,The Old Man and the Poolborrows from many genres.
The staging helps stitch together Birbiglias combination of stand-up and the one-man-show tradition.
Itd feel overdetermined if it werent such a fitting match for the painstaking care of his writing.
His doctor says he should swim, which means that first he needs to learn how to swim.
Then it rolls forward again, tracing the humiliation of adult swim lessons, the progress, the setbacks.
Its that glorious, corny, satisfying Birbiglia thing once again, those leaps from concrete to abstract.
He feels himself aging.
He cant bring himself to write a will.
How do you possibly cope?
He writes in his journal.
Yes, its a reminder that we cannot dodge destiny.
That doesnt mean its not also its own form of a dodge.
Its blindingly, refreshingly earnest.
The version we do have is gratifying.
That other, darker one would have been messier, and might have been even better.
