When Brooke announces she has written a soon-to-be-released memoir about their family trauma (without asking anyone for permission), everyone’s decorum quickly implodes. Alas, despite Baitz\u2019s well-made play and an A-list cast, this revival is under-directed by John Benjamin Hickey, which leaves the actors feeling unmoored. Though Other Desert Cities has interesting points to make about family dysfunction, ethical obligations, and political complicity, particularly in the Republican party, the piece\u2019s relevancy is overshadowed by the awkward production.<\/p>\n
The entire Wyeth family are complex and morally gray, slippery and in some cases monstrous, and this cast doesn\u2019t fully capture their shifting tides. As an ensemble, they struggle to work together and to elevate each other\u2019s performances. Rabe, miscast and miscalibrated, flubs crucial moments and never manages to make Brooke likable, which sets the play off-balance. Allison Janney<\/a>, as the alcoholic aunt Silda, plays it safe and is underutilized. Harris and Louis-Dreyfus feel underprepared, at times stumbling over lines. The unexpected standout is Broadway newcomer Keery, who is singularly grounded in his character and delivers a top-notch, memorable rendition of one of the play\u2019s less flashy roles.<\/p>\n As problematic matriarch Polly, Louis-Dreyfus gives an often hilarious but occasionally unsteady performance in her own Broadway debut. She seems uncomfortable on stage, unsure what to do with herself when she isn\u2019t speaking, and flounders in her character’s more calm and serious moments. All this makes the shadow of Stockard Channing, who played the role on Broadway in 2011, loom especially large, and ditto for that of the entire original production.<\/p>\n But whenever Louis-Dreyfus gets to be cruel, slinging barbs while she smiles and overenunciating insults with a scoff, she hits her stride. Thankfully, there\u2019s a lot of vicious comedic material for her to savor, to the delight of Veep fans who miss Selina Meyer. In moments like this, when all the production’s puzzle pieces align, there are some excellent, crackling moments of familial sparring. If only there were more.<\/p>\n Other Desert Cities summary<\/p>\n Writer Brooke Wyeth returns to her parents\u2019 house in Palm Springs seeking their blessing to publish a memoir, which rehashes painful family history. It discusses her brother, Henry, who joined a cult, was implicated in a bombing, and committed suicide, as well as the way her family (mis)treated him and (mis)handled the situation. Her parents, Polly and Lyman, once big in Hollywood and now big-deal Republicans, freak out, while her brother Trip and aunt Silda (fresh out of rehab) are more supportive. Over one particularly dramatic Christmas Eve, the family debates, slings insults, and unearths some secrets.<\/p>\n Other Desert Cities premiered in 2010 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The original 2011 Broadway production earned five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play, and this is its first Broadway revival.<\/p>\n What to expect at Other Desert Cities<\/p>\n The play is set in Palm Springs at the lavish house of Polly and Lyman Wyeth, and scenic designer Scott Pask has outfitted the stage in beautiful mid-century modern style, complete with stucco brick; large, paneless windows; a sunken living room; an open fireplace; and breeze blocks.<\/p>\n For audiences new to Other Desert Cities, there are delightful twists in the play as secrets come out. Likewise many will come in already loving the starry cast from their notable roles on TV shows like Veep (Louis-Dreyfus), Stranger Things (Keery), and The West Wing (Janney). While some cast members’s Other Desert Cities performances echo their famous roles, others show off something new, especially Keery, who got mid-show applause at my performance for a particularly well-executed monologue.<\/p>\n The play runs 2.5 hours with an intermission, and it contains some purposefully politically incorrect language, played effectively for laughs by Louis-Dreyfus.<\/p>\n What audiences are saying about Other Desert Cities<\/p>\n On online forums like Show-Score and Mezzanine, some theatregoers at early performances praised the acting and writing, while others criticized the casting, performances, delivery, and the play itself. As of writing, the show holds an 80% audience approval rating on Show-Score, a review aggregator.<\/p>\n \u201cSmartly written, still relevant and wonderfully acted.\u201d – Show-Score user Gennad![\"8](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/8_odc-1200x600-NYTG.png\")
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\n\u201cVery repetitive, bordering on boring. The set was very realistic but a bit stagnant. It lacked creativity. The energy between characters wasn\u2019t matched.\u201d – Mezzanine user Jada Hester
\n\u201cA completely fine production of an alright play.\u201d – Mezzanine user Alex Scotti<\/p>\n