The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited

Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Extended through December 11th

RECOMMENDED

It’s been a familiar gambit for some time for actors to take a famous play and turn it into a one-person show ‑ essaying all the roles to display his or her virtuosity — but I’d never heard of the reverse being done until now.

The current production at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited, takes the iconic Lily Tomlin one-woman show and reconfigures it with a talented cast of twelve. If, on balance, the piece still seems like it would be more effective as a one-person vehicle, it’s a small quibble, considering the wealth of terrific acting and the sharp wit and wisdom of Jane Wagner’s writing still on display.

Homeless sage Trudy (Charlotte Gulezian) is our host and guide in trying to explain the human race to some alien visitors. She drops in on disparate examples of humanity, including Agnus (Sasha Pasternak), a disaffected young punk, Kate (Ann Noble), a dissatisfied rich woman, Paul (Jeremy Luke) a cheating husband, and a trio of young women from the 70s struggling to balance feminist activism with the trials of everyday life.

Gulezian, a beguiling combination of wide-eyed wonder and sly commentary, channels Tomlin in a lovely way. Pasternak does a nice job with some of the show’s most dated material, getting to the ferocity and heartbreak at the heart of her character. Noble is very funny as the bored and imperious Kate, and Luke portrays the confused but ultimately decent Paul with compassion. Most impressive, however, is Kristina Johnson as Lyn, an earnest feminist and a mother; she depicts a decade of life changes in a tour de force performance that brings the show to messy, glorious life.

Director Ken Sawyer pulls all of the show’s many elements together seamlessly, staging everything with fluid grace. His sound design, which adds details to enrich the scenes, is particularly impressive, from the squeak of a straw in a cup to the slosh of a waterbed. Wagner’s writing still holds up very well, as, for example, her concept of reality as a collective hunch, or her witty asides, including one about the super-liberated non-sexist man who remembers where he was when Sylvia Plath died.

This revisitation of Tomlin/Wagner’s play is a successful and entertaining experiment, itself a sign of intelligent life in the universe.   

Los Angeles LGBT Center, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood; Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m.; Extended through Dec. 11. www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre. Running time: two hours and 30 minutes with a 10 minute intermission.