What Did Critics Think of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe? | Playbill

The Verdict What Did Critics Think of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe?

The new staging at the Shed stars Saturday Night Live veteran Cecily Strong.

Cecily Strong in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

The reviews are in for the new production of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, starring Emmy-nominated Saturday Night Live star Cecily Strong, at The Shed, a multi-use cultural venue in New York City's Hudson Yards. The show opened January 11 after beginning previews December 21, and will run through February 6.

Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet, Grand Horizons) directs the new staging, with a script freshly revisited by playwright Jane Wagner, who wrote the script in 1985 to be performed by Lily Tomlin, who serves as executive producer along with Wagner for The Shed production.

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe begins with a character named Trudy, who serves as guide to aliens searching for intelligent life on Earth. Strong somersaults between several characters in the solo-show's exploration of American society, art, power, and the feminist movement.

Read the reviews below.

amNY (Matt Windman)

Cititour.com (Brian Scott Lipton)

Deadline (Greg Evans)

Exeunt (Loren Noveck)

New York Magazine/Vulture (Helen Shaw)

New York Stage Review (Melissa Rose Bernardo)

New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)

The New York Times (Jesse Green)

Observer (David Cote)

Playbill will continue to update this article as reviews come in.

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life is choreographed by James Alsop, and features a set design by Christine Jones and Mary Hamrick, costume design by Anita Yavich, lighting design by Stacey Derosier, and sound design and original composition by Elisheba Ittoop. Justin Scribner serves as production stage manager.

Take a 1st Look at Cecily Strong in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe Off-Broadway

 
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