fans of Ernestine, Edith Ann and Judith Beasley are in for a blast from the past when Lily Tomlin brings her celebrated routines to Merrill Auditorium in Portland Thursday, Sept. 8.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert- $67, $57 and $47 – go on sale at noon today. They may be purchased in person at the PortTix box office, online at www.porttix.com, or be charged by phone, ( 207) 842-0800.

A force in American comedy, Tomlin has been cracking up audiences for more than four decades. She has graced the silver screen, the little screen and comedy club stages, and her characters have even made guest appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and “Sesame Street.”

Her charismatic, toothy grin has appeared on the covers of such renowned magazines as Time, People and American Film. Known for her characteristic voice and the personalities behind them, Tomlin’s ingenuity and knack for creating imaginative and laughable routines have rendered her a faithful following.

Born Mary Jean Tomlin and raised in a working class neighborhood outside Detroit, Mich., Tomlin discovered her love for comedy at an early age. Although she says she never displayed any comedic talent as a child, she idolized female comediennes Lucille Ball, Bea Lillie, Imogene Coca and Jean Carroll.

Tomlin pursued a degree in medicine when she enrolled at Wayne State University after high school. She took theater arts courses as an elective and ultimately decided to leave school to focus on performing and a career in comedy.

She moved to New York in 1965, and a year later made her television debut on “The Garry Moore Show.” In 1969, she relocated to Los Angeles where she joined the cast of “Laugh-In.” Soon, lovable and memorable characters Ernestine, the snappy telephone operator, and Edith Ann, the devilish 5-year-old who sits in a giant chair and tells it as she sees it, were born.

Tomlin’s movie credits include “9 to 5” with Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, “All of Me” with Steve Martin, “Big Business” with Bette Midler, and the ’80s remake of “The Incredible Shrinking Woman.”

Her off-Broadway show “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” was a smash hit and won a Tony Award in 1986. The show was revived in 2000, and was made into a movie and published as a book.