Other Desert Cities (Hudson Theatre)

By Harry Forbes

Handsomely designed for the long Hudson Theatre stage, this first Broadway revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities boasts a superlative cast, even if the mountng, directed by John Benjamin Hickey, doesn't quite make the impression of the original Lincoln Center Theater production, which subsequently transferred to Broadway. Of course, it may simply be that the play, when it first appeared in 2011, had the advantage of freshness. (A bit of Broadway history: Judith Light replaced Linda Lavin when the production transferred, earning Light a Tony Award, while Rachel Griffiths took over for Elizabeth Marvel.)

The chief attraction this time around is the Broadway debut of Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the role of Polly, originated by Stockard Channing. Louis-Dreyfus handles Baitz’s barbed dialogue and withering put-downs with considerable authority. Allison Janney is predictably fine as Polly’s acerbic, recovering-alcoholic sister Silda, while Ed Harris makes a solid, increasingly commanding presence as Polly’s husband, Lyman. Joe Keery is marvelous as their son Trip, a television producer who has some particularly strong moments in the second act.

Lily Rabe, fresh from the Delacorte Theatre’s The Winter’s Tale, is less consistently successful as Brooke, the troubled daughter who has long harbored resentment toward her parents over their treatment of her late brother. Rabe is an accomplished actress, as she has demonstrated repeatedly, but she has a tendency toward stridency in highly emotional scenes, something evident here as well as in her summer Shakespeare performance. Harris, meanwhile, builds nicely toward a powerful confrontation with Brooke in the second act.

The play, set at Christmas in 2004, finds Polly, a former Hollywood screenwriter, and Lyman, a one-time Western movie star and diplomat, welcoming their daughter Brooke home to their Palm Springs residence. Both parents are prominent figures in the Hollywood Republican establishment. Brooke, who has emerged from a prolonged depression, arrives with what they assume is a novel. The revelation that it is actually a tell-all memoir about the family, including the story of her late brother, changes everything. The brother, a left-wing radical, had been involved in a political bombing that resulted in a death and subsequently took his own life. With the book's publication imminent, her parents are understandably alarmed, and the family gathering quickly becomes an explosive confrontation over loyalty, memory, and the ownership of family history.

Baitz’s play, which premiered in 2011, remains a sturdy and absorbing family drama. Fifteen years on, its political undercurrents and, even more compellingly, its exploration of the competing versions of truth that families construct about themselves continue to resonate with a 2026 audience. What constitutes the truth about a family's past, and who has the right to tell it? Those questions remain as provocative as ever.

The production is handsomely appointed throughout. Scott Pask’s scenic design makes particularly effective use of the Hudson’s expansive stage, while Tom Broecker’s costumes are perfectly suited to the characters. Natasha Katz’s lighting and Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound design and original music are equally accomplished, contributing to the production’s polished atmosphere. Robert Pickens is responsible for the hair and wig design.

(Hudson Theatre, 141 West 44th Street; otherdesertcitiesbroaday.com;  through January 17)

Photo by Emilio Madrid: (l.-r.) Lily Rabe as 'Brooke Wyeth,' Joe Keery as 'Trip Wyeth,' and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as 'Polly Wyeth'

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