Leave it to Philly’s first lady of comedy, Jennifer Childs, to take on the amazingly ambitious “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” – a solo performance written 20 years ago specifically for comedian Lily Tomlin.
Childs not only stars in the one-woman show – about politics and suburbia and life itself – but she is also the artistic director of 1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s All Comedy Theatre Company.
In what feels like a schizophrenic romp, Childs begins appropriately enough as Trudy, the not-all-there bag lady narrator who talks to extra terrestrials. The gifted actress then morphs into other oddball characters – 16 in all – from a glam super-mom to an angst-filled teen to a prostitute.
So versatile and talented is Childs’ performance that it’s not hard at all to keep the various characters straight. Though some of the themes are decidedly dated – such as the angry teen’s obsession with G. Gordon Liddy – the prevailing theme about lonely, disconnected people and the search for meaning in life is quite relevant.
And Childs’ energetic and seamless performance resonates and makes this 20-year-old story one worth seeing today.
