Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner take us on…
The Search for Signsof Intelligent Life in the Universe
“Tour de Force” is a term often overused by obsequious reviewers. In this case, it is simply the only way to convey the immense power of this play and its masterful performance. Thanks to the wonders of videotape, “The Search…” can now be undertaken in our living rooms, with the added benefit of pauses and replays so that we might fully appreciate the artists at work.
Not long into “The Search…” we meet Trudy, a well-organized bag-lady who stores her thoughts and questions on post-it notes which she then sticks all over her body. The brilliance of this quirky behavior is best understood when compared to the legions of modern professionals running around with palm-pilots used for the same purpose. The difference is that Trudy only saves thoughts which are truly profound, whereas the yuppy-technophiles store mostly esoteric data, the intellectual equivalent of white noise.
Written for Tomlin’s multi-character one-woman stage virtuosity by her lover Jane Wagner, “The Search…” is literary genius acted out with theatrical genius. Fortunately, for those unlucky souls who missed the live version, there are now both book and video versions. Given the rapid-fire pace of the monologues’ deliveries, and the enormous breadth, depth and subtly of the writing and intellectual content, you are well-advised to lay your hands on both versions!
As of this writing we are still not sure that there actually is intelligent life in the universe, but if you fail to check out this play (in video or book form) then you will have proven that there certainly is none in your neck of the woods.