Birbiglia Birthday Salute to “Simpsons” Actress Julia Kavner Falls Flat

NEW YORK, NY (Sept. 8, 2008) New York comedian Mike Birbiglia’s attempt over the weekend to send happy birthday wishes to “The Simpson’s” Julie Kavner by pelting her with water balloons outside her Santa Monica home fell flat yesterday – and for a fairly predictable reason.

The balloons, all of which had “Happy Birthday, Julie!” written across them, exploded upon impact, leaving no message that Kavner could discern.

Contacted by email, Kavner’s publicist wrote that Birbiglia’s birthday wishes, while “probably well-meaning,” were “unwanted” by the actress. Kavner’s birthday is Sept. 7.

“This result is probably something I could have predicted,” said Birbiglia, who earlier this year celebrated the birthdays of actress Bea Arthur (May 13) and Celia Weston (June 2) with identical results. “Apparently, I am just going to have to keep tinkering with this until I get it right.”

Birbiglia has told many in the entertainment industry that he has a “sleep disorder” known as rapid eye movement behavior disorder. Persons with this disorder can unexpectedly get up, walk, punch or kick, and even act out portions of dreams while asleep.

Kavner has been in the news recently both because of her recent divorce from Yeardley Smith and because of a lawsuit she launched in conjunction with Lewis Black, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sam Waterston against Woody Allen’s production company, Perdido Productions, for royalties still due them for performances in 1986’s “Hannah and Her Sisters.” In a sign of our litigious times, Waterston is also suing Seth McFarlane for payment for an uncredited role in McFarland’s “Family Guy” in an episode entitled “Road to Rhode Island.”

Among other projects, Birbiglia is currently putting finishing touches on “Sleepwalk With Me” -- www.SleepwalkWithMike.com)-- a new comedy written by and starring Mike Birbiglia that will play The Bleecker Street Theater, off Broadway (45 Bleecker Street just East of Lafayette Street) beginning October 17th with the official opening scheduled for November 11th.

Birbiglia has also been working on a “subversive” year-long project aimed at getting writer David Sedaris and his sister Amy voicework as guest stars on Matt Groening’s “The Simpsons” – but those roles went instead to Jodie Foster and Anne Hathaway, respectively, it was announced last week.

In “Sleepwalk With Me,” Mike Birbiglia takes the audience on a hysterically funny and intensely personal journey through stories of his life and bouts with sleepwalking. As he finally confronts his fears of love, honesty and growing up, we see that some people's problems will work themselves out with a nice long walk-- but not Mike's.

Directed by Seth Barrish (“The Tricky Part,” “Old Wicked Songs”), and co-produced by Eli Gonda and Ryan Scott Warren of QuasiWorld Entertainment and venture capitalist/actor Nathan Lane, the creative team includes set design by Beowulf Borritt (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “My Two and Only”), lighting design by Jason Lyons (“HurlyBurly,” “The Threepenny Opera”) and sound design by Jody Elff ("My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs," "Oddville").

“Every once in a while, someone comes along who renews your faith in the art of stand-up comedy. It happened when I first saw Mitch Hedberg, and it happened again when I saw Mike Birbiglia” said Nathan Lane. “The energy in the room changes, and you realize you're in the presence of a fresh and original voice. You should definitely just go see him, and get lost in his world. It's a fun and hilarious place to be."

About Mike Birbiglia: (Performer/Writer) In his career of 11 years, Mike Birbiglia has grown from a down-and-out failure to a popular talk show comic to a groundbreaking, original storyteller who challenges the genre of standup comedy. The results? Two critically acclaimed albums, three Comedy Central specials, and an upcoming Off-Broadway show called “Sleepwalk with Me.” At 24, Mike was one of the youngest comedians ever to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman. Seventeen Magazine named Mike one of the “Voices Of The Next Generation.” Mike made countless appearances on Conan, Kimmel, Carson Daly, and Ferguson. From there, Mike took his act on the road: headlining colleges, then clubs, then theaters nationwide. Mike’s debut album Two Drink Mike drew comparisons to Seinfeld from Esquire Magazine in their “Favorite Comedy Albums.” AMG Music hailed it “the arrival of standup’s next big thing.”

In 2003, Mike was invited to perform at HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. While there, he was asked to be a part of The Moth Storytelling Series, famous for putting together lineups of authors like Sam Shepard, Andy Borowitz, and Malcolm Gladwell. It was Mike’s first time telling a story on stage and it piqued his interest in taking that format to a standup setting. Over the next year, Mike started writing what he calls his “Secret Public Journal,” a blog that chronicles Mike’s habit of “making awkward situations even more awkward.” Mike’s Journal quickly gained momentum, picking up 30,000 email subscribers and an invitation to perform it regularly on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Radio Show. In 2007, Mike released a live rendition of his favorite stories on a CD entitled, “My Secret Public Journal LIVE,” which both Time Out New York and Time Out Chicago hailed the “Comedy Album of the Year.” The Boston Globe calls Mike’s new stories, “as honest as any Richard Pryor confession, and as engaging and inclusive as an old Bill Cosby record.” It’s that inclusiveness that has made him a popular guest on shows as diverse as Late Night with Conan O’Brien to This American Life on NPR to the nationally-syndicated Opie and Anthony Show.

Seth Barrish (Director) Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of The Barrow Group—a non-profit theatre company in New York City. Mr. Barrish has worked as an actor, director, composer, and musical director internationally, Off-Broadway, Off Off Broadway, and in regional theatres for over 30 years. Directing Credits include: Stephen King’s Misery, David Edgar’s Pentecost (Drama Desk Nomination for BEST PLAY), Martin Moran’s The Tricky Part (OBIE Award, Drama Desk Nominations for BEST PLAY and BEST SOLO SHOW), Nicolette & Aucasin, Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award & Garland Award for BEST DIRECTION), Thy Kingdom’s Coming, Lonely Planet, Good (Straw Hat Award for Best Direction), Ghost in the Machine, Tales From Hollywood, Greetings, Beau Jest, Three Sisters, and When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder?. Theatres: The Signature Theater, Asolo Center for the Performing Arts, The Promenade, The McCarter, Long Wharf, Sundance Theatre lab, The Geffen Playhouse, Playhouse 91, La MaMa E.T.C., The Perry Street Theatre, Provincetown Rep, Capital Rep, Miniature Theatre of Chester, and The Barrow Group. Mr. Barrish has made numerous film and television appearances and is a professional acting and directing teacher at The Barrow Group School in New York City. He recently served as a Master Teacher at the International Director’s Symposium in Spoleto, Italy. He is author of the book An Actors Companion– 99 Bits of Craft.

QuasiWorld Entertainment is a development and Production Company that brings to life original ideas for the stage and screen. We are dedicated to producing projects that emphasize story and originality by creating an environment that enables imaginative and talented storytellers to expand their creative potential. At QuasiWorld, we have passion for what we do and dedication to the pursuit of excellence in how we do it. We believe in working with honest and inspiring people who share our ideals: community, integrity, creativity, and respect. Most recently, QuasiWorld produced Annie Hendy's play, “The Catholic Girl’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity” and is currently developing it as a feature film. Other feature credits include: “American Teen” (dir Nanette Burstein) Official 2008 Sundance selection and currently being released by Paramount Vantage and “Swimmers” (dir. Doug Sadler), official 2005 Sundance Selection. In addition, QuasiWorld is developing Danny Jacobson's new play Bang Zoom and the feature film, “The Good Doctors.”