|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
REVIEW The search for signs of the real Lily Tomlin
by Mel Ferrand 2008-11-12
|
|
This article shared 2645 times since Wed Nov 12, 2008
|
|
Seated five rows back, center, at the Rosemont Theatre Nov. 1, I was positioned to be easily captivated by the sorcery of Lily Tomlin. Clad in black, she appeared, whirling from stage left to stage right and greeted by thunderous applause. Once the crowd was quieted, I watch as she masterfully drew us all in. She assumed the character of Ernestine, her famous telephone operator of decades past, and the crowd roared in laugher as she delivered each punch line effortlessly.
For little more than an hour and a half, she held us transfixed through 'An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin,' presenting characters her dedicated fans have loved for years. As I watched her glide effortlessly through character morphs what I found most striking about them is their completeness and their fluidity. Her character changes, similar to that of a magician's quick hands, trick our minds into not believing our eyes. Even sitting as close as I was, it took constant reminding that in scenes being played out that included as many as four people, there was really only one that stood before me and she wasn't even technically one of the characters. What my eyes saw was a petite white woman clad in black manipulating us like a professional puppeteer encourages her marionettes to dance on a string. Yet even sitting that close, I could not see the seams of the characters she had woven together. Her stitches nearly invisible, her props simply included a couple of chairs and a few sound effects. Some were added for a cheap laugh or, more accurately, for a moment so that those of us in the audience could catch our breath. Not even realizing until then, we had been so transfixed that we had forgotten to breathe. One such moment of 'comic relief' was during a scene where she narrated, 'There is a knock at the door' and we hear a doorbell ring. While we chuckle and catch our breath, she blindsides us with another zinger and we are off and running to catch up with her again.
Essentially using only her body language, posture and facial expressions through each character change, she presented someone other than who our eyes told us we were seeing and then as quickly as one can blink, she was someone else entirely often changing back and forth all in one skit. Even to this day, I am not sure if her breaks in character and subsequent sips of water paired with clever one-liners were actual slips into sightings of the real Lily Tomlin or simply her reminders that there is intelligent life in the universe. |
|
|
|
This article shared 2645 times since Wed Nov 12, 2008
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24 - "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...
|
| | Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23 - A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 - Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 - I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | THEATER Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' offers feminist, trans take on a troubling Jacobean tragedy 2024-04-18 - "Problematic" is a great go-to adjective to describe Women Beware Women. This 1621 Jacobean tragedy is by English playwright Thomas Middleton, who is probably best remembered as a collaborator with William Shakespeare on their pessimistic tragedy ...
|
| | Hubbard Street Dance Chicago announces programs for May 17-19 season finale 2024-04-17 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced program selections for Spring Series: Of Joy, the final installment of Season 46, Abundance. The engagement will include four unique works, once ...
|
| | LGBTQ+ film fest Queer Expression to feature Alexandra Billings in 'Queen Tut' 2024-04-12 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Pride Film Fest celebrates its second decade with a new name—QUEER EXPRESSION—and has announced its slate of LGBTQ+-themed feature, mid-length and short films for in-person and virtual events in April and May. QUEER EXPRESSI ...
|
| | Open Space Arts's COCK offers a complex but compelling take on relationships 2024-04-08 By Brian Kirst - Premiering in 2009, Mike Bartlett's COCK was a comic revelation, exploring notions about fluidity and sexual labelling long before they became commonplace discussions. Granted, conversations about these issues will always ...
|
| | Jeff Awards launches submission period for Impact Awards 2024-04-06 - The Jeff Awards announced the opening period for applications submissions for its 2024 honors to help inspire early career artists of color in the Greater Chicagoland area. Two recipients will be selected for awards of $10,000 ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items 2024-03-29 - Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...
|
| | City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26 - City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 seasonwhich will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...
|
| | The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26 --From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...
| |
|
|
|
|