Known for his standup, with several Comedy Central specials under his belt, Birbiglia broke out with his pitch-perfect 2009 show "Sleepwalk With Me," which inspired both a book, published last year, and a movie, to be filmed this summer. "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend," Birbiglia's return to the stage with director Seth Barrish, follows the formula of "Sleepwalk With Me" closely: a meandering monologue, with comedic asides and lengthy diversions, that winds up tackling far more than its initial storyline implied. The two shows even begin in the same way, with a curtain speech by Birbiglia, who riffs on the frustrations of the cell-phone era by way of reminding the audience to turn the darn things off. But despite the similarities, "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" never reaches the same heights as Birbiglia's previous production; it's often as funny and sweet but rarely as hilarious or moving.
Large portions of the script are scenes cobbled together from past Birbiglia material, as heard on NPR's "This American Life" or seen on his various late-night appearances. Wheeling about the stage, Birbiglia describes the evolution of his attitude toward marriage and the relationship that stimulated it; in doing so, he covers the history of his romantic life. Doodles, phone numbers, and notes are scrawled across the walls of the theater, with a design by Beowulf Boritt that not only mimics the circuitous and chaotic nature of the script but also cleverly plays into the show's finale.
One of Birbiglia's perennial sources of inspiration is his pitiable luck with women. As you might guess from the show's title, much of "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" involves Birbiglia making a fool of himself in front of the various females in his life: awkwardly kissing them, losing arguments to them, being rejected by them, and at one point vomiting on one of them. This last episode is, unexpectedly, one of Birbiglia's funniest moments, as he literally throws himself into re-enacting his ill-fated ride on the Scrambler, a carnival staple and the undoing of many weak stomachs.
Birbiglia excels at comic extremes: furious tirades and pithy throwaway lines. But where "Sleepwalk With Me" drew listeners in with a mix of funny anecdotes and intimate confessions, particularly regarding Birbiglia's relationship with his father, "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" comes across as strangely impersonal. It too often feels like a mishmash of generic romantic anecdotes: a first kiss at a high school dance to "Stairway to Heaven," a bachelorette party gone crazily awry. It's like watching a rerun of a favorite episode of a great sitcom: You laugh in all the right places, but that punch—the edge that came from the wonderfully unexpected—is missing.
Presented by Ron Delsener, Mike Berkowitz, Joseph Birbiglia, and Mike LaVoie at the Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow St., NYC. March 31–June 25. Wed.–Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 4 and 8 p.m. (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.