The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

1991 film by John Bailey

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Directed by	John Bailey
Written by	Jane Wagner
Produced by	Jane Wagner
Starring	Lily Tomlin Clay Walker
Cinematography	John Bailey
Edited by	Sally Menke
Distributed by	Orion Classics
Release date	September 27, 1991 (1991-09-27)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985) is a one-woman stage show written by Jane Wagner. The original Broadway production starred Lily Tomlin, won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and was turned into a film in 1991.

The show, Tomlin's second Broadway billing as a solo performer, follows Tomlin as she performs various characters or personae, all while wearing simple black pants and a white blouse. The show appears disparate at first, but becomes unified under the sensibility of the opening "bag lady" persona as the performance progresses. The show is often praised or considered controversial for its feminist material, most notably the compressed history of the feminist movement offered in Act 2. For her stage performance, Tomlin won a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics' Circle awards.

A film version was directed by John Bailey and edited by Sally Menke, and stays true to the original stage performance. The film earned the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. For her efforts on the film, Tomlin received a Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture American Comedy Awards, amongst other notable accolades. A restored version of the film, compiled from different prints, will be shown at the 2024 RescueFest at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, California in December 2024.

Revival

In the fall of 2021, The Shed announced plans for a revival starring Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong and directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman. It would run from January to February 2022. This production with Cecily Strong played at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles from September 21 to October 23, 2022.

References

Canby, Vincent (September 27, 1991). "Lily Tomlin, Translated From Stage To Screen". The New York Times. New York City.
Gentile, John (1989). Cast of One: One-Person Shows from the Chautauqua Platform to the Broadway Stage. Illinois UP. pp. 169–172.
Blauvelt, Christian (November 25, 2024). "RescueFest, Premier Festival for Restoring Lost Indies, to Open 2024 Edition with 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe'". IndieWire. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
Bahr, Sarah (12 October 2021). "Cecily Strong to Make New York Theater Debut at the Shed". The New York Times.
"Cecily Strong Stars In One-Woman Show | All Of It". WNYC. January 13, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
Darel Jevens (October 1, 2022). "Fear not, Cecily Strong fans: She hasn't left 'SNL'". Chicago Sun-Times.

External links

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe at IMDb

v t e Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
1976–2000	The Norman Conquests (1976) No Man's Land (1977) Miss Margarida's Way (1978) An Evening With Quentin Crisp (1979) Request Concert (1981) Whistler (1982) La Tragedie de Carmen (1983) The Garden of Earthly Delights (1985) The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1986) Largely New York (1989) Nouvelle Expérience (1991) Tubes (1992) Fool Moon (1993) Stomp (1994) The Waste Land (1997) Quidam (1998) Swan Lake (1999) Charlie Victor Romeo (2000)
2001–present	Mnemonic (2001) The Exonerated (2003) Loud Mouth (2004) Slava's Snowshow (2005) Christine Jorgensen Reveals (2006) Edward Scissorhands (2007) The 39 Steps (2008) Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words (2009) Love, Loss, and What I Wore (2010) Sleep No More (2011) Gob Squad's Kitchen (You've Never Had It So Good) (2012) Totem (2013) Cirkopolis (2014) Queen of the Night (2015) That Physics Show (2016) The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (2017) Derren Brown: Secret (2018) All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2019) Is This A Room (2020) No Award (2021) Seven Deadly Sins (2022) Peter Pan Goes Wrong (2023) Grenfell: in the words of survivors (2024)

Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience

1976–2000

The Norman Conquests (1976)
No Man's Land (1977)
Miss Margarida's Way (1978)
An Evening With Quentin Crisp (1979)
Request Concert (1981)
Whistler (1982)
La Tragedie de Carmen (1983)
The Garden of Earthly Delights (1985)
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1986)
Largely New York (1989)
Nouvelle Expérience (1991)
Tubes (1992)
Fool Moon (1993)
Stomp (1994)
The Waste Land (1997)
Quidam (1998)
Swan Lake (1999)
Charlie Victor Romeo (2000)

2001–present

Mnemonic (2001)
The Exonerated (2003)
Loud Mouth (2004)
Slava's Snowshow (2005)
Christine Jorgensen Reveals (2006)
Edward Scissorhands (2007)
The 39 Steps (2008)
Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words (2009)
Love, Loss, and What I Wore (2010)
Sleep No More (2011)
Gob Squad's Kitchen (You've Never Had It So Good) (2012)
Totem (2013)
Cirkopolis (2014)
Queen of the Night (2015)
That Physics Show (2016)
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (2017)
Derren Brown: Secret (2018)
All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2019)
Is This A Room (2020)
No Award (2021)
Seven Deadly Sins (2022)
Peter Pan Goes Wrong (2023)
Grenfell: in the words of survivors (2024)

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