For the first time in the 35-year history of Jane Wagner’s iconic play THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE: REVISITED, the author and her creative and life partner Lily Tomlin have given their approval for it to be reinvented as a fully staged production performed by a company of 12 actors as opposed to its original solo format. And while I regret never having seen Ms. Tomlin perform the play, as she must have been incredible in it given her extreme creativity in presenting a wide variety of characters, director Ken Sawyer has again created a most entertaining evening of theater at the intimate Davidson/Valentini Theatre at the Los Angeles LGBT Center in Hollywood, inviting his audience to embark on a hilarious, tender, and profound journey through the streets, across the world, and far beyond.
The cast includes (in alphabetical order) Julia Aks, Mike Bash, Charlotte Gulezian, Joe Hart, Julanne Chidi Hill, Kristina Johnson, Kimberly Jürgen, Bellina Logan, Jeremy Luke, Ann Noble, Sasha Pasternak, Kimberly Robinson, Anny Rosario, and Rachel Sorsa, each of whom portray various characters crossing the path of Trudy (Charlotte Gulezian), a seemingly homeless young woman who refuses to be governed by reality as she attempts to prove to visiting space aliens that there are intelligent beings on our planet. But of course, each character she examines has questionable values and merits, making you wonder if in fact the only truly intelligent beings in the universe are the ones who question their own existence.
Director Sawyer is to be commended for his choice to have the actors pantomime almost every one of their props, using constant sound effects to send the imagination soaring. As a result, the audience is more free to focus on the actors’ skill in delivering their dialogue and characterizations. And as the play unfolds, it becomes apparent just how each of the characters intertwines with the others, even when they never appear onstage together. It must have been quite an accomplishment for Ms. Tomlin to portray all these characters simultaneously.
“The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in The Universe: Revisited” runs through Dec. 11 on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m. Note: there are no performances on Sunday Nov. 13, Friday Nov. 25, Saturday Nov. 26, and Sunday Nov. 27. General admission tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre or by phone at 323-860-7300. Net proceeds from all ticket sales will support the full range of free and low cost programs and services offered by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, located at 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. Free onsite parking is available.
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s more than 500 employees and 3,000 volunteers provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world. The Center is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world — a world in which LGBT people can be healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at http://lalgbtcenter.org/