support@semo.net
1573 686-9114​​​​

The Claudia Foundation of Poplar Bluff
presents

“An Evening with Lily Tomlin”

A Fundraiser for the Foundation,
Timed to Commemorate the Restoration of Balcony Seating
at the historic Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff
Friday September 19th, 2008 at 7:00pm

(for more information, click here, or call the Foundation at 573-686-3040)

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Unless you have spent the last few weeks in a campaign-ad-induced coma, surely you’re aware that Poplar Bluff is gearing up for a rare evening of entertainment, courtesy of the Claudia Foundation’s very special guest, Tony Award-winning comedienne Lily Tomlin.

Presenting her nationally-acclaimed one-woman show, “An Evening with Lily Tomlin”, at the newly-revitalized Rodgers Theater, the artist will breathe life into many of the quirky, deftly-nuanced characters she’s created during her stunning forty-year career. And if past response to this uncommon brand of live artistry is any indication, Tomlin will have a hefty portion of southeast Missouri rolling in the aisles, gasping for breath, and proudly identifying with a time when “edgy humor” meant thought-provoking or insightful humor, rather than whatever it means today in “I-Will-Eat-Worms-For-Pay-On-Live-TV” Nation.

Some of Tomlin’s characters in particular—like pesky schoolgirl Edith Ann, and Ernestine, the power-mad telephone operator who snorts in the face of customer service—will unleash a flood of cheery memories for many. Both figures were introduced into millions of American homes via the ’60s TV sketch hit Laugh-In; since then, primarily through a series of award-winning stage plays and television specials, Tomlin has assembled a formidable “family” of similarly well-drawn personalities, among them soul singer Purvis Hawkins; punk rocker Agnes Angst; lounge crooner Tommy Velour; and the much-loved—and possibly bonkers—Trudy the Bag Lady.

Of course the miracle of Ms. Tomlin’s work inhabiting these and other personae lies in the depth of substance she is able to provide them, often with little time and few cosmetic devices. Then, too, there is the wonder of the quality of perception her “people” often exhibit—and this, virtually always through the disarming veil of humor.

Herself a repository of distinctive players attempting to make some sense of earthly existence, Tomlin has spoken of what she terms “the interconnectedness of all things” in the vast universe we call home.

What will certainly connect those present on September 19th at the Rodgers will be laughter in abundance, with enough Baby Boomer nostalgia thrown in to intrigue joystick-happy Generation Xers for ages to come…A singular opportunity for bonding there, I’ll wager!

What a grand way to strengthen the Claudia Foundation’s ongoing mission to cultivate among area girls the tools of scholarship, volunteer spirit, and confidence in their potential to build the many lives of their own dreams.

 

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