Sleepwalk With Me And Other Painfully True Stories (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I'm a fan of birbiglia's standup, but part of his charm is his simplicity of language, his molasses-slow cadence, and his casual, almost childlike delivery. Unfortunately, this style works better in a spoken-word format than in the written word. "Sleepwalk with me" is more or less a transcription of the stand-up routine by the same name, but the humor is somehow lost. Opt to hear these stories told by the man himself. He's a master of pacing in oral storytelling, but his simplicity works on stage, not on the page. In 2008, comedian Mike Birbiglia wrote a one-man off-broadway play about his experiences with rapid eye movement behavior disorder, which causes him to act out his dreams and sleepwalk. His symptoms are exacerbated the longer he goes without expressing himself and dealing with his stress, resulting in him performing increasingly dangerous acts in his sleep. Including a time when he ran out of a second-story window of a Walla Walla, Washington hotel room, resulting in 33 stitches in his leg.Birbiglia’s one man show Sleepwalk with Me, has become the defining story of his career and has been translated to a segment on the NPR show This American Life, a book, a stand-up cd, and a movie staring Birbiglia as himself and Lauren Ambrose as his girlfriend. Birbiglia isn’t a big personality and could best be described as a sad sack, but his wit and honesty make this absurd story feel relatable. The film, book, and stand-up cd all have similar content and are all available at the Davenport Public Library. I would recommend any of the three, but the film is especially fantastic. Any fans of comedians Patton Oslwalt and Marc Maron and the show This American Life that somehow haven’t heard Birbiglia’s story need to check it out asap.
What do You think about Sleepwalk With Me And Other Painfully True Stories (2010)?
I liked it. I read a hundred pages without even noticing. It draws you in.
—bly19vy
not as funny as hearing his stand-up in live/radio
—Erica
