"I assume if you get into a box of wine, it may lead to a number of wonderful things happening in your life," said Cecily Strong. According to the actor, it certainly has for her.
Strong never could have predicted it at the time, but diving into an enormous vat of boxed wine while impersonating Fox News host Jeanine Pirro on Saturday Night Live led Strong to the Shed, where she is making her New York stage debut in the play The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.
Jane Wagner's one-woman show, a series of monologues examining American society, premiered on Broadway in 1985. The "Me Decade" embraced Lily Tomlin's performance, in which she played 12 different characters. After winning the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Award for Best Actress, Tomlin starred in a film adaptation of the play in 1991. She reprised the role in a 2000 Broadway revival, but the show has not been seen onstage in New York since.
"Who would ever want to open themselves up to be compared to Lily Tomlin?" Strong said, admitting she immediately said yes to starring in the show, even though she thought the idea was "insane."
She said yes to Leigh Silverman, the Obie award-winning and Tony-nominated director who, after seeing Strong swim and sing her way through that box of wine, offered the role. Drawn to the play's exploration of human connection, Silverman had revisited the script during the pandemic and suggested the Shed's creative team mount the show to reopen its off-Broadway performance space at Hudson Yards.
"The end of Search is all about how interconnected we all are," Silverman said. "And we're all feeling so isolated. To work on a show that's about connection, and about the mystery of connection, and that appreciates and celebrates the audience for being there sitting in the dark with a group of strangers laughing and crying about the same things I said to [the Shed's creative team], 'I just can't imagine a play that will speak to this time more than then this play.'"
Silverman was familiar with the show's 12 different characters, which were reduced to 10 for the production starring Strong. Search is framed by the character of Trudy, a homeless woman who claims to have connections with extraterrestrials. Her "space chums," as she calls them, are on their way to visit her as they explore the universe.
Along with Trudy, Strong switches rapidly between nine other characters, including the appropriately named teen performance artist Agnus Angst; a soul-searching professional named Chrissy; sex workers Brandi and Tina; and Lyn, Edie and Marge, a trio of friends finding their way through the Second Wave feminist movement.
It's a bittersweet and inspirational 90 minutes as the characters fall in and out of love, survive personal and professional disappointments, and experience births and deaths. When Search first opened, the play undoubtedly captured the zeitgeist of its time, but Silverman's concerns about its relevance more than 30 years later quickly dissipated a cause of both relief and frustration for the director, who assembled an entirely female design team for the show.
"I feel like it could be written today. It's the same struggle," Silverman said. "Lyn's story, and the story I think of many of the people in our show looking for meaning, looking for signs, looking to understand themselves better, looking back on choices that we've made all of these things resonate for today. Although I was concerned about it the thing that I have felt and that I think Cecily feels and that many people have felt, is that it is as it feels as prescient and as relevant today."
Strong is no stranger to feminist performance. One of her most talked-about acts during the most recent season of Saturday Night Live was Goober the Clown. The skit aired as the Supreme Court heard arguments on a restrictive abortion ban in Texas, and Strong as Goober spoke freely about having had an abortion at age 23. "It's a rough subject so we're going to do fun clown stuff to make it more palatable!" she told "Weekend Update" host Colin Jost, while spinning her bow tie and squirting him with water.
It was Strong's courage and ability to embrace both pain and humor that attracted Silverman, who had thought finding the right performer for Search would be impossible. She had to find someone who possessed the courage to step into the shoes Tomlin had worn while refraining from imitating her. She also had to find someone who loves theater and understands the importance of the piece. Silverman said Strong was that person.
"I feel so lucky that she is able to hold both all of the intense challenge of the piece and also want to own it as her own simultaneously while honoring it, and that's such a special thing," Silverman said, adding that she did not watch Saturday Night Live frequently and had known very little about Strong other than she had a theater background but now was "retroactively full of fandom."
Silverman and Strong grew close quickly during the one month of preparation for the play. Along with rehearsals and tech, the two Zoomed frequently with Wagner and Tomlin as they developed the show. But as rehearsals began, so did the news of the Omicron variant. Determined to continue, the show's team has been tested daily at the Shed while abiding by Covid safety protocols.
"It's so intense, and [Cecily] is like living inside of a plastic bag," Silverman said. "Nobody's allowed to talk to her backstage except for me and one other person. She's very carefully contained. It's not what anybody wants, it's not how anyone would choose to work but we all know the sacrifice for the payoff, which is being able to perform that show every single night."
But several people working on the show tested positive just before previews began, and the sense of responsibility weighed heavily on Silverman and Strong.
"Our tech room just kept getting smaller and smaller," Silverman said. "We talked about it, and we really felt like, 'A year ago at this time, we were home. We were not working, and all we wanted to do was work.' It was up to us to stand in some kind of defiance of this moment."
"I kind of broke down in my dressing room," Strong recalled. "And Leigh said, 'The Shed is behind you. They want us to do this. If there are two people in the crowd, we're doing this show for them. And they've gotten over their anxiety to show up and we've gotten over our anxiety to show up and we're sharing this together.'"
That combination of anxiety and joy was cathartic for both Strong and the audience as the show began performances.
"Once people laugh, they're open to crying," Strong said. "I think you have to laugh through tough things. That's how you start the way to emote, going through that catharsis."
That release was especially poignant for Strong, whose younger cousin passed at the beginning of January 2020, a deep loss that was followed immediately by the pandemic. Search opened on January 11, the same day that her cousin died of cancer.
"His sister came that night to the show. It was so beautiful," Strong said. "It felt like, 'You're with me and I'm supposed to be here doing this,' It was part of the magic of and part of the sadness and the heaviness of life. As my uncle said, 'We're adding a little joy to this day as well.'"
The final moments of Search speak of the inevitable connection between human beings and celebrates the audience in the theater an especially emotional moment for Strong as she speaks to an audience during the Omicron surge.
"That's more proof that that's how important connection is to human beings and we haven't gotten to have it," she said. "Then it even goes one step further to say, 'And we're having it right now in this room together.' It's so wonderful and beautiful to be a part of that. I don't know how I would have gotten through this time without it. I feel so lucky to share it.
"I got a text from a friend who saw the show and he said, 'You get to the end of the show and it's that moment of, Oh, this is why there's theater.' Because this feeling, this magic, doesn't happen anywhere else in the world."
Loading...
Loading...
See the article here:
- NBC Has a Huge Opportunity with Law & Order: SVU's 25th Season - CBR - Comic Book Resources - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Seeding a gay community in LA, the gay liberation revolution - Los Angeles Blade - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Britney Spears's 'Baby One More Time' music video debuted on ... - Yahoo Entertainment - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- 13 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Britpop Bands - Hello Music Theory - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The top advertising campaigns of 2023 according to Australian ... - AdNews - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The 25 Best New Movies Streaming in November 2023 - TheWrap - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Jets' Aaron Rodgers 'attacking' rehab, eyes return this season - WABC-TV - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- ESG counteroffensive is missing big guns - POLITICO - POLITICO - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The increasingly radical climate movement, explained - Vox.com - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Imani Winds inspires with recital celebrating composers of color at ... - EarRelevant - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Super Models Tells the Story of the Original Fashion Influencers - AnOther Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- What constitutes a master? Don't ask Jann Wenner The Daily ... - Daily Free Press - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Conviviality of Ivan Illich (Part I) | by O.G. Rose | Oct, 2023 ... - Medium - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- SickKids unveils more future-focused VS campaign to match new ... - The Message - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Top 6 Iconic Classic Rock Bands of the '60s - American Songwriter - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Brent Harold: The renaissance of union logic - Arizona Daily Star - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- German bishops conclude tense gathering with all eyes on Synod ... - Catholic World Report - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Slasher Saturdays: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Vs. The Hills Have ... - Horror Obsessive - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Listen to Scott Drebit Discuss His New Book A CUT BELOW: A ... - Daily Dead - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Whitney Houston Hairstyles: Tribute to Her Unparalleled Elegance - PINKVILLA - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Frosted Lipstick, Chunky Highlights & Thick Eyeliner: Every Beauty ... - New Zealand Herald - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- From Alphas To Betas: Science Says There Are Three Types Of ... - Evie Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Russell Brand is a product of the horrifically misogynistic noughties - Prospect Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Enduring Magic of Lorde's Pure Heroine and HAIM's Days Are ... - Paste Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Climate activists: How far is too far in raising the climate alarm? - Daily Maverick - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Pride Anthems at WHBPAC June 2nd at 8PM - Hamptons.com - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The illuminating influence of Eric Huntley - Peoples Dispatch - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Want Sofia Richie Style? Try These Cheap Nordstrom Finds - Who What Wear - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- What will Saudi-Iran rapprochement mean for the Palestinians? - +972 Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- EU as Arbiter of Ideological Elegance? The European Conservative - The European Conservative - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Catholic theology yesterday and today: A Thomist's response to Dr ... - Catholic World Report - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Andy Warhol exhibition coming to College of DuPage - Chicago Tribune - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- COVER STORY | Arlo Parks Embraces the Intimacy of Aliveness - Paste Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The Number Ones: The Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow - Stereogum - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- 7 First-time ASTRA Exhibitors You Don't Want to Miss This June - Gifts & Decorative Accessories - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Curator Lesley Lokko on the Venice Architecture Biennale: 'It's about ... - Financial Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- German revolution of 1848: A precursor to today's democracy - DW (English) - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam to open 21st August 2023 - Hospitality Net - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ruin America? Joe Manchin is just getting started. | Will Bunch ... - The Philadelphia Inquirer - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How the MTV logo captured the creative spirit of the 1980s - Creative Bloq - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- I give up I cant do that: The song that made David Crosby want to quit music - Far Out Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How We Loved and Lost the Hot Girl Summer - The Swaddle - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 5 Laid Back Essentials From Faherty Prove The Hype - Fatherly - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' director Daniel Goldhaber explains the ... - The Real News Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Totally Rockin' History of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - Collider - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Was The Hunger Games Renaissance Planned All Along? - GameRant - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why Parkinsons Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking - Variety - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- It's Raining Ramen! A Brief History of Jewish Asian Fusion - Aish - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ted Weber's Wesleyan Political Theology - Juicy Ecumenism - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- What do the British Royals and Cleopatra have in common? - Firstpost - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Pakistan Army won't bounce back easily this time. Imran Khan ... - ThePrint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Five years since #MeToo, Tarana Burke is looking beyond the hashtag - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- After Florence Pugh Freed The Nipple, Olivia Wilde Supported The Movement On New Magazine Cover - CinemaBlend - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Barbara Kay: The Movement to Normalize Pedophilia Hits a Roadblock, but We Mustn't Let Our Guard Down - The Epoch Times - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Is it Time to Decolonize Global Health Data? - Research Blog - Duke University - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesnt Think Women Talking Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo Entertainment - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Can the Congress rewrite its chronicle of a death foretold? - Scroll.in - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- We need a strong nationalist as a president - Daily Sun - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The 19th Century Movement to Canonize Columbus - Catholic Exchange - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Audemars Piguet toasts 50 years of Royal Oak with new watches, book - New York Post - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesn't Think 'Women Talking' Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo! Voices - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Best Bets: 6 nights of live music at Wussow's and more - Duluth News Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Five Burning Questions: Bad Bunny Spends a 13th Week at No. 1 With Un Verano Sin Ti - Billboard - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- San Diego artist uses creativity to uplift Black culture and 'determine how we are seen' - The San Diego Union-Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Premier League at thirty - what should it sound like next? - Broadcast - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Steve Braunias on Peter Ellis case: 'Moral panic, contaminated evidence and an innocent ghost' - New Zealand Herald - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Constituency Statutes: The Overlooked Predecessor to the ESG Movement - JD Supra - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 10 books to add to your reading list in October 2022 - Los Angeles Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Multiple Religions Coexisting Within the Catholic Church - Crisis Magazine - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 2023 Oscar Predictions The Rules of the Game - Awards Daily - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kathy Sheridan: Brace yourselves for where Giorgia Meloni and Italy end up - The Irish Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The rise and fall of Sir Philip Green, the retail king who fell from grace - Evening Standard - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The lying flat movement standing in the way of China ... - Brookings - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Namwali Serpell Distills the Disorienting Experience of Grief in 'The Furrows' - Shondaland.com - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Dance & House Music Ruled the Summer. What Now? - Complex - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- It is time to back a new party in the elections - Morning Star Online - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- The empty feminism of Dont Worry Darling - The Guardian - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Sunburn The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics 9.26.22 - Florida Politics - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- GOP candidate Trevor Lee ran a secret Twitter account that attacked LGBTQ people and Utah Gov. Cox. Now he's been rebuked by Republican leadership. -... - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Peeling Back the Slasher-Inspired Look of HBO Maxs Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin with Cinematographer Anka Malatynska - Dread Central - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]