Memo from the World: A Universal Mirror

by Meryl Joseph

Recently, I saw Jane Wagner's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe with Lily Tomlin. I had seen it on Broadway, fourteen years ago, and Lily is now presenting it again on tour. Seeing it the first time, fourteen years ago, changed my perspective on life, the theater, and art. For me, the experience illustrates how shifts in perspective are the true life-changes.

Just as the painter Giotto discovered how to portray perspective (how the eye perceives distance) to the world in the Thirteenth Century, The Search gave me a mirror in which to see humanity. After this new viewing, I was able to put the third eye on my own life - what had changed, what had not - as well as that of the world.

More than any theater piece I have seen in twenty years, The Search has impacted me and many others forever. It astonished me how the evening was so totally vivid, seeming to erase the years since I saw it in New York. This is a wondrous event, now, as it was then, and perhaps because we are all older, with that much life experience under our belts, The Search seemed even more hilarious and bitingly satirical, as well as that much more touching.

Beyond technology, no matter how much the Internet impacts our lives, there is always the human heart. And that of course, is so much of what The Search addresses. Intelligent life must be supported by the human condition, otherwise it just exists on post-it notes. Again, I found myself laughing or crying for (or with) the characters, for their quest for sanity and love, amidst the wild accuracy of the portrayals. I giggled and teared up simultaneously. This is what makes the evening so miraculous: the dualities. And we, the audience are confronted with the truth of ourselves, our frailties, and yet are given the opportunity to laugh at our humanity. A universal mirror is provided.

As a theater designer who prefers the Zen approach to set design - less being more - I deeply appreciate the simple truth of the actor in light. Thanks to Lily and Jane for knowing how much DOESN'T need to be spelled out in visuals, for understanding how capable the audience is of joining in the imaginings of Trudy and her cohorts, and of willingly entering her world.

Gibran says, "The mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain." Seeing The Search in 1985, and seeing it again, now, with the perspective of a 51 year old, was dramatically poignant. This is artistic creation as the true gift from the makers - to have the experience bring us to a new clarity about ourselves, our lives, our truths, our own search.

About the Author:

A native New Yorker, Meryl Joseph is a photographer, filmmaker and theater designer. Her photographs have been exhibited in the United States and Europe, and appear in a number of books. Her award-winning documentary films have been screened on telvision and at museums and film festivals. She also has directed, and created production and lighting design, for the theater. Ms. Joseph will soon be directing her first feature film, Stolen Goods, based on a play by Diane Kagan and starring Barbara Meek.