SHORT TAKES : Play a Boost for Lily Tomlin

DENVER — Lily Tomlin, who gained national fame in the early 1970s on the TV show “Laugh-In,” says her career became more interesting when she began her “Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.”

Tomlin, who has also appeared in several movies, starred in the play on Broadway from 1986 to 1988, winning the Tony Award for best actress. She decided to take the show back on the road, including a two-week run in Denver.

Tomlin portrays a variety of characters in the play, each of whom searches for meaning in their lives and the lives of those around them. Their collective search, handled deftly with humor and honesty in Jane Wagner’s script, emulates real life, Tomlin said Wednesday.

“The play is so human, so funny. . . . It’s moving, satiric, sharp, insightful, compassionate. Everybody sees someone they know in the characters,” she said.