Lily Tomlin attends Cecily Strong’s performance of Tony-winning role – The Hollywood Reporter

Aside from bowing (or three) and receiving applause, actors usually don’t address the audience after a stage performance.

But last night’s production of the one-woman show The search for signs of intelligent life in the universe at LA’s Mark Taper Forum was not your average night at the theater for Cecily Stronghence, after a very enthusiastic standing ovation, it took her 30 seconds to make an announcement.

“I want to acknowledge a very special person who is here tonight – our original Trudy, our hero, the incredible one Lily Tomlin‘, she said as she shouted out the comedy legend, a revelation that was greeted with shock and awe from the sold-out crowd on opening night. The hall raised an already electric applause as the guests scanned the crowd to locate Tomlin.

Strong kicked off the reveal by saying it’s something that’s never happened before, underlining what a special night it was for everyone involved. Tomlin won a Tony Award in 1986 for casting the role on Broadway based on a script written by the woman who would eventually become her wife, Jane Wagner.

The search for signs of intelligent life in the universe follows the “seemingly disparate life of a punk rock rebel, a socialite, a feminist and a deceptively insightful observer, among many others,” per press material. Emmy-nominated Saturday Night Live star Strong knows the material well, as the new production was originally produced last year by The Shed in New York starring her.

The show, directed by Leigh Silverman, began with previews at the Mark Taper Forum on September 21 and will run through October 23. Produced in collaboration with SNL honcho Lorne Michaels and veteran stage producer Bill Damaschke, the show is presented in association with The Shed.

After the show, Tomlin spent some time catching up with Strong, Damaschke, Silverman and Center Theater Group managing director and CEO Meghan Pressman. Also in the show on Wednesday were Family man executive producer Rich Appel and actors Peter Paige, Joe Pacheco and Barrett Foa, among others.