For a 72 year old, Lily Tomlin is pretty spry. From the get-go she was all over the stage, up & down from a chair and some prop steps, even the floor several times. (I won't sit on the floor unless I have something to help me get back up.) Her act is a series of her greatest hits, including Edith Ann, Ernestine, Trudy, & Lucille the Rubber Freak, interspersed with video of bits old and new (1), along with stories of growing up and some comments about politics today. She had a few things to say about Ohio's Issue 2 (& the governor who passed it) and Occupy Cincinnati (Vote No on 2, give money to Occupy). The audience showed support for both positions. (If any teabaggers were present they kept quiet.) The scripted show was 90 minutes, then she did 20-30 minutes of Q&A (from cards people filled out beforehand). She had a lot of fun with the questions, even keeping one about The Incredible Shrinking Woman.
I had a memory rush when she started to do Lucille the Rubber Freak. I've since learned she does the bit occasionally but I've only ever seen her do it once. Before she was on Laugh-In she did a short-lived series called Music Scene (I had to google for the name but I used to watch it when I was a kid). It was 45 minutes of music and comedy, with Lily, David Steinberg and other regulars. The show was paired with another 45 minute show (I have not googled for the name). The premise of that show was a that plane with a bunch of kids (high schoolers, I think) crashed on an island. All the adults died. The island had been set up as a atom bomb test site, complete with fake town. So, a cross between Lord of the Flies and Lost. Anyway, Music Scene was where I first encountered Lily and I hadn't thought of Lucille until last night when it all came rushing back as soon as she introduced the character.