An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin

Legendary comedienne Lily Tomlin brought her trademark characters and whip-smart wit to the Segerstrom Hall last weekend in her one-woman show: "An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin." Practically leaping onto the stage after some clips of her early work, Tomlin proved to be a genius at the ad-lib and as energetic as an eighteen-year-old.

For real. She was bouncing around the stage with more spring and pep than I can muster at my age. She also knew how to play winkingly to her audience. "I dreamed of one day going to Hollywood," she said about her hope of being a star, "so I could go on the road and play Costa Mesa."

Her deft improvisational skills were no more evident than early on in the evening when she self-deprecatingly assumed the audience didn't really care about her coming out on stage. "Bullshit," cried one exuberant audience member. This amused Tomlin managed to somehow work this moment into her act, dexterously bringing the moment full circle by the end of the evening.

For part of the night, Tomlin regaled the audience with stories about her past and thoughts about life in general. "I often think about how I buy a small trashcan and carry it home in a paper bag, only to get home, take it out of the paper bag then put the paper bag in the trashcan."

These oftentimes hilarious anecdotes gave way to Tomlin's most popular characters such as Trudy the Homeless Lady, Ernestine the Phone Operator, and Edith-Ann the mischievous six-year old with the funny lisp.

What was so special about her and long-time writing partner and companion Jane Wagner is how she also gets in some true insight into the world we live in. "One of the most valuable survival skills we have is the ability to delude ourselves." Funny, but true. Because sometimes pushing reality aside for a while is what we need to do to get by in this world. "What is reality, anyway? Nothing but a collective hunch."

These tidbits combined with stories about her childhood made for an interesting and vibrant evening. A few snafus occurred (a projection didn't turn on when it was supposed to and one long tale lost its punch line when she "messed it up"), but Tomlin handled it like a pro and just managed to endear herself to the audience even more.

That long tale in particular still worked because of its ability to be relatable to an audience made up primarily of older straight couples who most likely had kids. Heck, everyone in there was a teenager at one point. So her story about herself as a temperamental youth exasperated at her parent's dull after-dinner conversation was uproarious. "Stop talking about CAAAAAAAKE!!" Another story told of her crush on a female grammar school teacher that was more poignant after we learn that the teacher in question had heard the sketch and made a telling comment about it.

Truth be told, this reviewer was a fan of Tomlin ever since he was a kid growing up in the '70s. Her characters from "Laugh-In" always made him smile and "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" was one of his favorite '80s classic comedies. But for some reason her stand-up acts eluded him. So seeing her perform was a fresh experience.

Most of the stories and characters were new or felt new again. And the surprising thing is that none of it felt dated. Characters were altered to fit today's mind-set and moral code, and even though Tomlin is in her early seventies, her comedy never felt stale. She commented on her litheness and ability to sprint around the stage like a young person. And she's right. Her physicality is impressive.

Add to that a collective work that has brought joy to multiple generations and a mind as sharp as a Samurai sword and you have one of entertainment's living treasures. Interestingly, her character Madame Lupe -- a woman with a scrunched-up face that hocks beauty products -- wrote a book called "Beauty from Without." For Tomlin, her beauty is both within and without and she spreads it like wildfire over her receptive audience. And that's no bullshit.

"An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin" plays three more dates in Hyannis, MA, Newport, RI, and Sante Fe, NM through September 21st. For information or tickets, visit www.lilytomlin.com. For information on upcoming events at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, visit www.SCFTA.org.