Review by The Good Times Article 4-20-06

Psyched About ‘Search’ Suzanne Schrag steps into the role that Lily Tomlin made famous

by Christa Martin Forever etched in the collective minds of theatergoers is when Lily Tomlin played Trudy the Bag Lady (and other characters) in her one-woman show, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.” In 1986 Tomlin earned a Tony for her work in the play. So for any actress who’s planning to step into Tomlin’s revered place, a great challenge lies ahead of her. Santa Cruz’s own Suzanne Schrag is up for the challenge. From April 21 to May 20, Schrag, a highly respected, long-time local thespian, will step on stage at the Actors’ Theatre with her version of Trudy. It’s no easy task. Schrag has had to memorize nearly 120 pages of dialogue, as well as tackle creating the personalities and unique traits of 12 characters. Her main role is Trudy, the bag lady through whom the story is told. Because of prior electrical shock treatments, Trudy “channels” bits and pieces from other people’s lives. These people are characters like Chrissy, a young woman who drives from job to job, with a perky attitude about life; or Paul the body-builder, who’s a health nut by day, a coke head by night; Kate, the bored, wealthy woman, with a jaded perspective on life; and Agnus Angst, a punk rock, performing artist. Ultimately, though, the play is a humorous look at interconnectedness and it’s also about how Trudy talks to a couple of aliens and helps them on their exploration of humanity on Earth. Two hours, 12 characters. It’s a matchless adventure for this refined actress. But it won’t be her first foray into something this intense. Schrag has been on Santa Cruz stages for years, making noteworthy appearances with Friends of Gus, the production company she co-founded, and she’s recognized for work with the improv group, Um … Gee … Um. In 2004 she performed a nearly solo show in “Happy Days”, a Samuel Beckett play, which was also produced by Autumn Stage Productions, the same company that’s doing “Signs”. “It’s a little daunting,” Schrag says of doing a show where it’s just her and a few props on stage. “You have to get out of the way and tell the story, and it’s a bit of a challenge not having anyone to work off of. You have to rely on your director and self to do that. … I consider myself a character actor and this is a chance to really stretch that.” According to “Signs” director Robin Aronson and producer Lisa Joseph, it may not be much of a stretch—while their show is searching for signs of intelligent life, they didn’t have to search hard or far to find the ideal actress for the show. The pair have worked with Schrag in the past and they seem to have deep confidence in her ability to not only pull off this show, but to make it shine. “She has a real sense of believability when she takes on a character,” Aronson says. “I never watch and think that I’m not believing [her].”