Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – On Broadway, a pair of impressive solo performances that grapple with mortality: Mike Birbiglia in THE OLD MAN AND THE POOL and Jefferson Mays in A CHRISTMAS CAROL

• By drediman
• November 22, 2022
• No Comments

This fall on Broadway, theater fans have the opportunity to take in a pair of solo performances that grapple with mortality. I’m happy to report that both absolutely sing. Here are my thoughts, as always.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Nederlander Theatre
Through January 1

First up is the new stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) starring the great Jefferson Mays. The adaptation – which opened on Broadway last night at the Nederlander Theatre – is the work of Mays, Susan Lyons, and Michael Arden (who also directs), who take their cue from Charles Dickens’ underlying novel – all the dialogue and significant swaths of narrative are lifted directly from the author’s work. Although not technically a one-man show, this version of the holiday classic undoubtedly belongs singlehandedly to Mays, who colorfully animates approximately 50 characters over the course of the evening, including the narrator (referred to as “The Mourner” in the credits). Most importantly, the actor imbues his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge with a real sense of catharsis, which gives this version of A Christmas Carol real stakes and a satisfying dramatic arc. Unsurprisingly, as one of our very finest stage actors, the Tony-winner (for Doug Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife) delivers a masterclass of a performance that commands the stage from start to finish, shaping and pacing Dickens’ familiar story with the prowess of a master storyteller. Despite being essentially a solo performance with a strong literary bent, the production (kudos to set designer Dane Laffrey and lighting designer Ben Stanton) has been brilliantly staged by Arden to cinematic effect, with particular emphasis on the tale’s ghostly aspects.

THE OLD MAN & THE POOL
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Through January 15

Equally impressive but vastly different from Jefferson Mays’ classically oriented, technically brilliant work in A Christmas Carol is Mike Birbiglia’s solo performance in The Old Man and the Pool (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Last seen on the Great White Way in The New One in 2018 – a solo show chronicling the comedian’s experience as a first time father – Birbiglia’s latest autobiographical show investigates his thoughts on health, aging, and death. Through a series of amusing interconnected personal vignettes, Birbiglia’s stealthily and often hilariously written and constructed show culminates with a punchline that caught me off guard but was in hindsight brilliantly on point (no spoilers here!). There’s little doubt that Birbiglia’s laid back, almost lazy mode of storytelling is a far cry from Mays’ detailed, highly mannered performance just a few blocks south. But despite his different approach – which is distinctive for its deadpan delivery and self-deprecatory humor – Birbiglia is no less an expert performer. Putting aside their contrast styles, both actors at the end of the day ultimately address and explore the same universal theme of mortality. Indeed, after the last two-odd years we’ve all been through, I’m sure that the topic has been top of mind for many of us. Thankfully, we have these two superlative theater artists to help us navigate our complicated relationship to the inevitable.