The first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz‘s Other Desert Cities began performances at the Hudson Theatre September 29 starring Lily Rabe, Ed Harris, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney, and Joe Keery. Opening night is October 18 and will run until January 27, 2027.
Other Desert Cities first ran Off-Broadway in 2011 before transferring to Broadway the same year. It centers on a wealthy conservative couple living in Palm Springs, California, whose long-estranged daughter Brooke returns. A liberal, Brooke threatens to publish a tell-all memoir exposing a long-held family secret.
The original production ran at the Booth Theatre, beginning performances October 12, 2011. It was a hit, running for nine months until June 17, 2012. It starred Stockard Channing and Stacy Keach as a married couple, former screen writer Polly and former Ronald Reagan staffer Lyman. Rachel Griffiths, in her Broadway debut, played their daughter Brooke. Judith Light played Polly’s sister, a recovering alcoholic. Thomas Sadoski played Trip, Brooke’s brother. In 2012, Other Desert Cities was named a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prizer for Drama.
Other Desert Cities received five 2012 Tony nominations, including Best Play. It won one Tony, for Light’s performance. Look back at the original production below.