The Incredible Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin unleashed a wonderful combination of characters featuring both classic bits and snappy new material in her Atlantic City debut Saturday night (Oct. 24) at the Borgata. Her show is a fascinating combination of personal remembrances and witty social and political commentary presented by the 70-year-old Tomlin as herself, and through a series of her famous characters. Those characters include Ernestine the telephone operator; Lily’s parents; 6-year-old Edith Ann; Sister Boogie Woman and Madame Lupe, “the world’s oldest beauty expert.”
Tomlin as herself, as Ernestine and above, as Edith Ann.
Tomlin doesn’t do many one-liners so it is hard to express the essence of her show in words. For example, Ernestine who began as the queen of Ma Bell when it was the only phone company, used to tell us that the phone company is omnipotent: “That’s potent with an omni in front of it.” Nowadays Ernestine has found a new avenue to express her lack of compassion — she’s a claims specialist for a heath insurance company, denying healthcare for everyone. “Being blind is a pre-existing condition,” snorts Ernestine. “Your health is our business, not our concern.”
As herself, she talks about after all these decades, year after year, we finally elected a president … from Hawaii.” She also complains about the negativity surrounding the current administration and those terrible rumors that his Portuguese water dog, “is not really from Portugal.”
One of my favorites bits was her classic about her always wanting to be the world’s best waitress but that TV stardom on Laugh-In got in the way.
Tomlin is as sharp as ever, bursting with energy and ideas that create a roomful of happy, laughing fans.
Tags: Lily Tomlin
