Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Emmy Award-winning playwright Jane Wagner’s brilliant social satire is back in a gorgeous new paperback edition—new life for the play that rocked Broadway in 1985 and still rings true today. The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe is “a work of genius and compassion,” in the words of Gloria Steinem, and a play that the New York Times called “stunningly ambitious.” Its Tony Award-winning productions starring Lily Tomlin brought Wagner’s book coast-to-coast success in the 1980s and 1990s—and its penetrating insights into class struggles, social inequalities, and gender politics have given the drama an enduring, wise, and powerful relevance to readers in the 21st century. Fans of Rent, Angels in America, and The Book of Mormon will find The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe as irresistible as it is wholly unforgettable. |

Poignant, sharp, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe first took Broadway by storm in 1985 and became an instant bestseller. The dramatic tour de force garnered numerous awards for playwright Jane Wagner and accolades for star Lily Tomlin, including a Tony for Best Actress. As a moving critique of modern society, this barbed but humane play continues to resonate with truth and accuracy today. In a special afterword, cultural icons and influencers Eve Ensler, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Jodie Foster, and others share their thoughts on how this classic affected their own lives and ours.

With selected photos by Annie Leibovitz and photocollages by Jane Wagner

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“Wagner’s brilliant wit and staggering breadth of knowledge combine quantum physics with biting satire to create one of the funniest, most visionary, and original works produced on Broadway in years.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“Stands on its own as an important contribution to contemporary drama.” - Booklist

“A rich tapestry…stunningly ambitious. Jane Wagner sums up a generation of social history into a tightly compressed saga.” - New York Times

“A work of genius and compassion.” - Gloria Steinem

“The intellectual fireworks are illuminating. It is genuinely a comedy about the way we are.” - Clive Barnes

“A hilarious saga of dreams collapsing, sexual arrangements backfiring, good intentions souring, and bandwagons careening off the track.… A compendium of pop history, a living anthropological exhibit…But it is also a chronicle of the human heart trying to mend its bruises and ease its disappointments. And that makes it sublime-catch-your-breath sublime.” - Washington Post