In the early 80’s, Tracey Ullman entered a competition in London for an improvised play about club acts. It was here she created the character Beverly, a born-again christian singer. Being Beverly won her the “Best Newcomer Award,” and launched a career that would go on to profoundly impact generations of television viewers. You know that crazy little show that has been around for more than two decades, The Simpsons, well; it got started on the Tracey Ullman Show as a short back in 1987, and now Tracey is back with a high octane comedy series on Showtime about the many flavors of American culture called State of The Union. “It’s like a YouTube-mentality show. I don’t think anyone’s got the focus at the moment for 14-minute sketches, so I decided to make it fast and furious,” says Ullman. “It’s never boring. If you don’t like this bit, you’ll like the next bit.”In case you missed its original airing on Showtime, Eagle Rock 
Entertainment has just released a 2 DVD set of the 53 characters Ullman impersonates on Season 2 which run the gamut from everyday ordinary people to celebrities like former First Lady Laura Bush, Seth Rogan, and my personal favorite, Tony Sirico [known for his role as Paulie Gualtieri on The Sopranos]. “I know sometimes I’m not 100% convincing, but it’s an energy, a confidence to playing” each character, she says. “There’s one little thing we’ll find that will imbue me with a sense of being that person. Renee Zellweger: I just put these eyelashes on and tried to think of Lamb Chop from Shari Lewis.” Ullman had 10 shooting days for the series, so makeup time for the dozens of characters had to be kept to a minimum. Ullman enjoys playing some of her crazier characters like the woman who gives advise about marrying death row killers. “I love being her. I got to have bad hair, cheap clothes, bad teeth, smoke cigarettes. I got to cry,” she says. After living in the USA for 25 years, Ullman earned her citizenship in 2006. “I’ve had a wonderful experience in America,” she confesses. “I’ve had a lovely career here. And after the last election, I wanted to vote. I wanted to join in.” When asked about her on-air personalities Ullman explains that, “I don’t make fun of people. I’m really fascinated by people. Within the show, I’m not mean-spirited. I just want to laugh. I don’t take myself too seriously.” There maybe some characters you don’t like, but I guarantee there will be one character in State of the Union that will hit a little too close to home, and therein lies the beauty of Tracey Ullman’s comedic genius.
