Mike Birbiglia talks 'The New One,' being married to a poet, more

After a sold-out run Off-Broadway this summer, Mike Birbiglia is bringing his latest one-man show, “The New One,” to the Cort Theatre, for his (much-deserved) Broadway debut.

And it’s a memorable one, thanks to a sudden, seismic jolt — a sight gag of epic proportions, which we can’t describe without spoiling the fun. Suffice it to say it’s unexpected, LOL-worthy, and completely enriches the tale he’s telling. Much like his comedy.

Birbiglia, 40, is not so much a stand-up comic as storyteller, calling to mind previous Broadway one-person showers, like Robin Williams or Whoopi Goldberg. Like the previous works he’s written and starred in (“Sleepwalk With Me,” later adapted into a feature film, “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and “Thank God for Jokes”), each of which added to his cult following, “The New One” (running through Jan. 20) offers a self-deprecating take on the bizarre twists and turns of his own life — in this case, what it’s like to be a new dad.

You may recognize him as that slightly nebbishy, surprisingly likable guy from film (Amy Schumer’s brother-in-law in “Trainwreck”) and TV (“Orange Is the New Black,” “Billions”). He lives with his wife (poet Jennifer Hope Stein) and baby daughter (Oona) in Brooklyn, and recently caught up with Newsday contributor Joseph V. Amodio.

Is this stand-up comedy — or theater? I bet you get that question a lot.

I’ve always gotten that question. My main goal is to make audiences laugh and my secondary goal is to make them feel an emotion. On top of all that, I really want to create a theatrical experience that takes people out of their own lives for 90 minutes. I hope they lose themselves in laughter and emotion. When it works, it’s great.

What’s it like making the leap from Off-Broadway to Broadway? Have you rewritten the show, or made changes for the new theater?

Strangely enough, I’m always doing rewrites. I’m at the Cort for six more weeks and I’ll keep making changes until the final show. One of the coolest things is when people describe the show on Broadway as intimate — meanwhile, there’s 1,100 seats. That’s a real credit to the design team. It’s crucial that the show does feel intimate because it’s essentially me telling how I secretly feel about being a dad, so if it doesn't have that feeling of intimacy it doesn't quite work. 

I’ve heard you don’t like to tell people what your show’s about — that it’s more fun to not know. You must feel like a fish swimming upstream — keeping a lid on anything in the age of the internet seems . . . impossible.

It‘s nearly impossible. You need audience members who are actively seeking out the experience of not knowing. For a while I wouldn’t tell people I was a dad so that part (of the show) would be a surprise. But there are about 100 articles about the show that have my name and “dad” in the title so I feel like that cat’s out of the bag.

So how DO you describe this show? 

It’s a solo play about a guy who doesn’t want to have a kid — and then he has a kid. The first half of the show is an elaborate argument for why no one should ever have a child. The second half of the show is about how I had child and I was right.

Then there’s the ending

.Which is the part I never give away.

Okay, dad — can you tell if your daughter is funny? And how much do you care about that?

She’s very funny, but I don’t like to put too much emphasis on that because it’s my profession. I try to put more emphasis on just having fun and her feeling comfortable saying whatever she’s feeling. Which is sort of what the show is about — saying things you’re uncomfortable saying. 

What’s it like being married to a poet?

We are each other’s first readers. I always read her poetry and she always reads my scripts. I read some of her poems in the show. We’ve been together for 15 years and I know less about poetry than she does about comedy, but it stills works. 

I know you’re laser-focused on this show right now — but what’s coming up after? Another season of “Billions,” or “Orange?”

I’ve loved working on all those things. As a matter of fact, Brian Koppelman, who created “Billions,” has a podcast called “The Moment,” which [my wife Jen] and I were just on together. It’s one of the only interviews we’ve done together. That’s a fun listen. I’m writing another movie, but it’s a secret. But as you know, there’s no such thing as secrets so we’ll see how long that lasts.