Lily Tomlin was born in 1939 in
Detroit Michigan. She attended
Cass Tech High School where she was captain of the cheerleading team, then went on to pre-med. at
Wayne State University. For a variety show she ad-libbed a spoof of an uptight society woman with an unladylike way of getting up from her chair, which was an immediate hit. She decided to scrap med. school for a five-month stint in
New York studying
mime. After a few years as a
cabaret performer she got a job on
Laugh-In, where she remained for three years, cultivating new characters. She has hosted
Saturday Night Live, had several Lily Tomlin specials and acted in the movie
‘9 to ‘5 and
The Incredible Shrinking Woman. She recently appeared in
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, a one-woman play written by Lily’s long time partner and collaborator
Jane Wagner.
Characters:
Trudy: New York bag lady, “Creative consultant to these aliens from outer space”
Edith Ann: five and a half year old brat in a big rocking chair
Ernestine: “Mussolini of the switchboard”
Crystal the Terrible Tumbleweed: daredevil quadriplegic
Kate: ultra sophisticated, bored stiff
Edie: columnist for a liberal, leftist newspaper
Lyn: a rush of positive “woman energy”
Marge: heavy drinking cokehead
Tina: prostitute, addict
Brandy: co-prostitute
Agnus Angst: 15-year-old performance artist
Chrissy: super energetic airhead
Madame Lupe: The world’s oldest living beauty expert
Wanda V. Wilford: Queen of Country Music
Opal: owner and operator of Soul Food restaurant
Sister Boogie Woman: southern evangelist