Dream Theater

Sleep talk with Mike Birbiglia

by Ptah Gabrie

A near-death experience isn't usually a laughing matter, unless you're Mike Birbiglia. An almost fatal sleepwalking episode is the central topic of his Sleeping While Standing tour, which is a sneak peak of his longer off-Broadway comedy premièring Oct. 17. After building a cult following with morning talk radio show appearances and his endearing My Secret Public Journal blog, Birbiglia's eyes are set on the big screen — and the first floor.

City Paper: What have been some of the best moments of this tour so far?

Mike Birbiglia: The coolest thing about this tour is that I've been in theaters. Theaters are great because people listen. As opposed to comedy clubs, where a lot of times, when people are ordering jalepeño poppers and mini cheeseburgers, they're not as focused on the comedy.

CP: This is a preview of your off-Broadway show, Sleepwalk with Me. How does this change things?

MB: I'm actually doing a long show — I'm doing 90 minutes of [Sleepwalk with Me]. It's really like my next comedy special, but it's really honed. It's all about my sleepwalking and how I nearly died in my sleep.

CP:When the three months are up on Sleepwalk, do you think you'll take it out on the road to, say, Philly?

MB: It's possible. If it takes off in New York, the sky is the limit. I'm definitely going to shoot it as a concert film or a TV special.

CP: Do you have any other plans for the future as far as film or TV?

MB: I worked on a pilot for CBS this past spring, and it almost got picked up. It was very close to being on the fall schedule, but it didn't. I'm definitely open to TV, and particularly film. I'm hoping to make my first film in the next year or two. Long term, I'd really like to make films in the vein of Woody Allen or Mike White.

CP: Your sleepwalking episodes are funny from the audience's point of view, but are you afraid that you might really hurt yourself?

MB: I try not to dwell on it, but I take it seriously. I go to a doctor now. When I tour, I have to make sure I stay in a hotel room on the first floor.

CP: Was there ever a time when you woke up and thought, "Wow, I really don't know how I got here"?

MB: I used to live in Greenwich Village, and there used to be a ton of street noise — people would fight in the street on the weekend nights. I actually walked out onto the street in my sleep, in my bare feet and underwear and a T-shirt. I was really confused as to where I was. That's a lot of what the show is about: denial. I had this sleepwalking disorder for years. I was thinking, maybe I should see a doctor; and then I thought, maybe I'll eat dinner.

Mike Birbiglia's Sleeping While Standing Tour | Fri., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $32.50, Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, birbigs.com