Has anyone seen « The Search for Intelligent… » with Cecily Strong at the Shed?

[Andre4]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 8:51am

Happy holidays! Am curious about the show but not sure if this is worth a trip from out of town. Would love to see her and see the Shed but it is not selling well at all (partly due to omicron I am sure). 

Updated On: 12/25/21 at 08:51 AM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 9:08am

The only show I’ve ever seen at the Shed is the only one I considered walking out on. Haven’t considered going back since, but I do enjoy Cecily. Considering it.

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 11:25am

I did. I trust the show worked with Lily Tomlin.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 12:45pm

Midnight Radio said: "I did. I trust the show worked with Lily Tomlin."

Indeed it did as it was written exclusively for Lily Tomlin and showcased characters she created herself.  Why it’s being done as a theatrical event with another actress is kinda redundant.  It’s like having another actress perform Whoopi Goldberg’s legendary one-woman show that featured characters Whoopi created.  

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 12:55pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Midnight Radio said: "I did. I trust the show worked with Lily Tomlin."

Indeed it did as it was written exclusively for Lily Tomlin and showcased characters she created herself. Why it’s being done as a theatrical event with another actress is kinda redundant. It’s like having another actress perform Whoopi Goldberg’s legendary one-woman show that featured characters Whoopi created. "

But they’re not characters Lily created, they’re characters Jane created. The work is good. The writing is terrific. Why shouldn’t it live on in another talented comedienne? 

[52889j]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 12:57pm

I did and really enjoyed it. The script is a little disjointed and parts of it dragged for me, but overall it was a great time and the ending is extremely poignant. Cecily is excellent and if she's ever on stage again I'll make a point to go see her.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 1:38pm

I’m intrigued by this but I’m not sure.

If she leaves SNL after this season (since I know there were rumors she wouldn’t be back for this one), I could see her jumping into something on Broadway for a little while.

She could be a good Marian in “The Music Man” or even a Bobbie in COMPANY.

I also can’t help but wonder what she would’ve been like in Waitress

[Andre4]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 6:16pm

Thanks so much for the quick feedback! Might check this out in the next few weeks then. :)

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 6:42pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Midnight Radio said: "I did. I trust the show worked with Lily Tomlin."

Indeed it did as it was written exclusively for Lily Tomlin and showcased characters she created herself. Why it’s being done as a theatrical event with another actress is kinda redundant. It’s like having another actress perform Whoopi Goldberg’s legendary one-woman show that featured characters Whoopi created. "

But they’re not characters Lily created, they’re characters Jane created. The work is good. The writing is terrific. Why shouldn’t it live on in another talented comedienne?"

Not to mention the fact that Jane actually updated the text for this. Considering she wrote it, let’s let her decide what life it gets to have.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/25/21 at 11:20pm

I never hear any buzz about The Shed.

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 12/26/21 at 3:01am

Wait til March when Help opens at The Shed. That should catch some buzz, and is infinitely better.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/26/21 at 6:59am

Here is a an article in today's NYT about the show, featuring a convo/Q&A among Tomlin, Wagner, Strong, and Leigh Silvernman, the new director.

I used a gift link so everyone should be able to access it without paywall concerns.

 

"Continuing ‘The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe’

Lily Tomlin, who first performed this comically cosmic play, and Jane Wagner, its author, discuss a new production with Cecily Strong and Leigh Silverman, its new star and director."

[Andre4]

Posted: 12/26/21 at 10:34am

Amazing - thanks for all the info! For those who have seen the show do you have any seating recommendations? Has anyone seen a discount for this? They have a field for it during ordering but I have not seen one yet. 

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 12/26/21 at 10:42am

There really is no bad seating for this show. It is all done more or less on a blank stage so there are no obstructions and the seating is similar to movie theater stadium seating. Possibly you may want to sit slightly closer to catch nuances in the performance.

Todaytix has $29 seats and a $25 rush.

Updated On: 12/26/21 at 10:42 AM

[kurtal]

Posted: 12/28/21 at 6:52pm

I saw it last week and, overall, I really liked it!  I agree with the commenter above that said that the script (and direction) drags in a few places.  But I thought Cecily was excellent throughout, and I was incredibly moved by the end of the show.  I'd definitely recommend it.

[herewegoabc]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 5:39pm

Has anyone rushed this? There is a mobile rush on TodayTix, just trying to see if it's fairly easy or if I should just buy a ticket. 

[52889j]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 6:47pm

herewegoabc said: "Has anyone rushed this? There is a mobile rush on TodayTix, just trying to see if it's fairly easy or if I should just buy a ticket."

I TodayTix rushed and it was literally front row, dead center. The stage is plenty low enough so it was perfect.

Updated On: 1/4/22 at 06:47 PM

[SoCalDirector]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 6:55pm

I saw Lily Tomlin perform this play and it was beyond amazing. I believe they also videotaped it? Bit along time I always wondered what it would be like with another actress. Has it been done with other performers outside the of New York.  Jane may have written it but trust me a lot was tailored towards Lily's creativity.  

With so many shows closing early maybe some people will try this out.

i've never been to The Shed but I first heard about it when Ben Whishaw appeared in something that got some very polarizing reactions

[herewegoabc]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 7:17pm

52889j said: "herewegoabc said: "Has anyone rushed this? There is a mobile rush on TodayTix, just trying to see if it's fairly easy or if I should just buy a ticket."

I TodayTix rushed and it was literally front row, dead center. The stage is plenty low enough so it was perfect."

Thank you! I'm making a trip in a couple of weeks, and this and Little Shop with Conrad Ricamora are my main reasons for this trip. I know the tickets for this aren't that pricey, but anywhere I can save money is a good thing!

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 8:22pm

Cecily as Bobby is a VERY exciting idea.

[Toll357]

Posted: 1/6/22 at 2:07am

I got the Today Tix Rush tickets today. I took my 2 adult daughters (I saw the Lily Tomlin version and had loved it). I got 2 tickets and my daughter got one. The box office put 2 and 2 together and put our seats together without having to ask.

We were house right on the aisle in the 3rd row (there is also a good amount of space from the stage to the first row). It was great, but I would say center is better as we were basically looking left most of the show. But we loved seeing Cecily up close! It's an amazing first show for her to be doing. The theater was not full so we could have moved back if we wanted. 

This was also my first time in the Shed. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/11/22 at 8:25pm

Reviews are starting to come out.

NY Times is mixed:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/theater/search-for-signs-of-intelligent-life-review.html

Vulture is negative:

https://www.vulture.com/2022/01/theater-review-cecily-strong-search-signs-intelligent-life-universe-tomlin-wagner.html

Deadline is mixed:

https://deadline.com/2022/01/cecily-strong-the-search-for-signs-of-intelligent-life-in-the-universe-review-1234908129/

Theatermania is mixed:

https://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/cecily-strong-search-for-signs-of-intelligent-life_93214.html

 

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 1/11/22 at 8:40pm

yikes, any hopes of a transfer are pretty much done

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 1/11/22 at 8:58pm

I’ve seen Lily Tomlin perform this twice.

When I read about this production, the first thing that came to mind was Rufus Wainwright doing JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL. Personally, I don’t see a need for it…but that’s just me.

 

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 1/11/22 at 9:27pm

Saw it from the very last row and thought it was fine. Dragged in places like many said. The rewrites seem to have led to a very disjointed new version. Nice to see Cecily on stage. She was good. Seeing what she can do on SNL, It felt to me that she was holding back from creating full characters. These characters for the most part are stereotypes (for a reason) and it seemed maybe she (or the director) didn’t want to lean into them for fear offending. Leading to none of her characters feeling any different from each other. The theater itself was great. Wonderful new theater space.