AMONG the topics touched on by “Sleep walk With Me” are a malignant tumor, the ending of a longtime romantic relationship and a sleep disorder that nearly results in death.
So why is it so consistently funny?
Maybe it’s because the writer/performer is Mike Birbiglia, a comedian whose credits include three Comedy Central specials. This solo piece marking his theatrical debut almost completely erases the already blurry line between confessional monologue and stand-up comedy.
In this show, co-produced by Nathan Lane, the appealingly rumpled, Everyman-like comic (“I don’t have a weight problem, but I am the guy who could really put the brakes on an orgy”) infuses his stories with enough one-liners, delivered with perfect timing, to make its potentially melodramatic tale go down easily.
Whether talking about the bladder cancer that afflicted him as a teen or the REM behavior disorder that sent him smashing through a window during a sleepwalking episode, Birbiglia never neglects to throw in enough jokes to lighten the atmosphere.
At times, the stand-up roots show through too blatantly. But under Seth Barrish’s capable direction, Birbiglia manages to pull the thematic elements together by, among other things, framing the evening with stories about his relationship with his emotionally reserved father.
People often say they don’t know whether to laugh or to cry, but at “Sleepwalk With Me,” the choice is easy. You’ll do both.
SLEEPWALK WITH ME
Bleecker Street Theater, 45 Bleecker St.; 212-239-6200.