Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool (West End)
Ends Oct 07 1h 20m
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool (West End)
91

Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & The Pool (West End) London Reviews and Tickets

91%
(60 Reviews)
Positive
100%
Mixed
0%
Negative
0%
Members say
Clever, Delightful, Absorbing, Funny, Entertaining

About the Show

Comedian Mike Birbiglia's solo show about reaching middle age & laughter being the best medicine.

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Member Reviews (50)

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79 Reviews | 2 Followers
77
Suited to the middle-aged, Affectionate, Light, Funny

See it if you want a piece of funny, affectionate stand-up which addresses the issues of the sandwich generation (children, health, elderly parents)

Don't see it if you are expecting a stage show, this is very much a one-man comic number. It runs 75 minutes. Read more

91 Reviews | 10 Followers
75
Hilarious, Resonant, Fluffy, Funny, Entertaining

See it if You want to see a stand up show done in a stage way and want a good laugh

Don't see it if you want to see a full stage play

21 Reviews | 0 Followers
80
Relevant, Funny, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if You are looking for a good laugh and a great story

Don't see it if you don't like one man shows

19 Reviews | 0 Followers
82
Delightful, Clever, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if You love a great story teller who can make any situation humourous

Don't see it if Can’t think of any reason not to see this

1 Review | 0 Followers
100
Spoke to the heart in the best possible way, Entertaining, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if He discusses a lifelong struggle with anxiety, which makes him approachable, and you can’t stop laughing the whole time

Don't see it if Just GO!

Critic Reviews (10)

The Times (UK)
September 18th, 2023

“This quiet master of his craft combines big themes with intimate details garlanded with good jokes...Telling this story of decay, love, persistence and the circle of life, Mike Birbiglia is a true star.”
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Time Out London
September 18th, 2023

"Birbiglia deftly takes us through a set that sometimes dives deeply but mostly stays splashing in the middle lane. What he lacks as a swimmer he more than makes up for as a storyteller."
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Theatre Weekly (UK)
September 15th, 2023

" 'The Old Man & The Pool' is a really touching piece of theatre, that also manages to be a hilarious night of stand-up."
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The Stage (UK)
September 18th, 2023

“Despite his musings on life’s end point, the show remains easy – even comforting – viewing. Birbiglia shares his personal anecdotes with us as if we were his old friends. With artful physicality and natural audience interaction, he airs the panic that most of us try hard to bury. Mischievous, honest and profound, it is a piece that makes gloriously moving waves.”
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WhatsOnStage
September 18th, 2023

“Like so much about the evening, it’s an acute observation delivered, almost disguised, in a flurry of laughter. These waters are far from still, but they run deep.”
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The Guardian (UK)
September 17th, 2023

“Where other midlife male standups splash in the shallows of domesticity, dinner parties and feeling tired, Birbiglia – on a cool blue set tiled to resemble his local swimming pool – plunges into the deep end of mortality, families and the meaning of life.”
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The Arts Desk
September 16th, 2023

“[Birbiglia has] a natural ease with the audience, impeccable comic timing, an ability to turn physical clown, clever scriptwriting structured around multiple little callbacks, a world view that sees absurdities in all areas of life but with an underlying seriousness that can halt an audience’s laughter in its tracks.”
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London Theatre
September 18th, 2023

“Birbiglia is creating something of an autobiographical life chronology with his work, and one can only hope that when he’s 56, he comes up with another piece – emotional, funny, heartwarming, and everything in between.”
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