Auditions for other desert cities, the providence players winter production, will be held on december 1, 3, 4, 5 2014, at the james lee community center located at 2855 annandale rd. The pulitzer finalist script is a symbiotic meld of family dysfunction and analysis of how modern american politics poisons our humanity. The name other desert cities comes from a sign that brooke saw when driving to california, telling of indio, california and all of the other cities that dont really matter. Much has been made of other desert cities as embodying the divisiveness of american politics today. There is a metal fir eplace, one of those scandinavian flying saucer types from the sixties, giving off a nice glow. Brooke wyeth, a once promising young novelist, returns home after a sixyear absence to celebrate christmas in palm springs with her parents, former members of reagans inner circle, plus her brother and her aunt. Like all the great desert tribes of antiquity, palm.
A oncepromising novelist, she announces to her family the imminent publication of a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the familys history a wound that her parents dont want reopened. The broadway production was again directed by joe mantello, fresh from the stage of the normal heart. Newhouse theater in 2010, where it played to soldout houses during its limited engagement run. Daughter brooke emily donahoe confronts her mother polly helen carey and father lyman larry bryggman. As australia suffers through an election campaign, im guessing that prime minister kevin rudd and his family are a tad too busy for a night at the theatre. Dps offers an extensive list of titles that includes many of the most significant plays of the past century. Other desert cities overview the best broadway source for other desert cities tickets and other desert cities information, photos and videos. Jeff sat down with baitz when he came to town for the arena stage opening. The rep delivers a delicious telling of a family in turmoil. Other desert cities rachel griffiths and thomas sadoski play siblings in an affluent, fractious family that has a troubled history in this jon robin baitz drama. The play that ben brantley of the new york times called, the most richly enjoyable new play for grownups. Other desert cities essays are academic essays for citation. Jon robin baitzs searing comedy, other desert cities, leaves us without a.
Past shows other desert cities shop lincoln center. Dramatists play service, one of the premier playlicensing and theatrical publishing agencies in the world, was formed in 1936 to foster national opportunities for playwrights by publishing affordable editions of their plays and handling the performance rights to these works. The production other desert cities runs through may 26 arena stage. In other desert cities, a family history lush in secrets. Click here to buy other desert cities tickets today. Other desert cities at lincoln theater boothbay register. The plays name refers to a control city guide sign on eastbound interstate 10 in california, which indicates that the freeway is headed towards indio, california, and other desert cities that is, the rest of the coachella valley and onward towards phoenix, arizona. Other desert cities act one scene 1 christmas eve morning, 2004. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section. Other desert cities was among the ten mostproduced plays in the united states in 2012. If a man write a memoir about his time in the army with his fellow soldiers, or a young woman writes about a family tragedy from 25 years ago.
Other desert cities opens at church hill theatre the talbot spy. Brooke has come home to draw a line in the sand and is daring her family to. Love and turmoil heat up other desert cities at arena. It probably plays better than it reads, epsecially with stockard channing and linda lavin who has since left the play. One of the strengths of baitzs script is the manner. A family confronts its past trauma in other desert cities. Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the familys history. In other desert cities, baitz has provided a moving, brilliant script for actors to build upon but if there isnt an emotional connection or, in dicrastos case, basic reactions during important dialogue, the power of the show will not translate. Other desert cities tells the story of a family where secrets are currency and everyone is rich. We dont currently have any monologues from other desert cities. It concerns the story of brooke wyeth, the daughter of wealthy golden era celebrities polly and lyman, and her christmas vacation at their home in 2004.
The company works through the script of other desert cities, from left, al dandrea, mary charbonnet, director john mulcahy, dixie weisman, tyson bailey and jennifer true. Schenectady civic cast superb in emotional other desert cities. Actors must be the conduit between script and audience. Playwright jon robin baitz has done a masterful job of penning. Jon robin baitzs first new play in six years has ripened significantly in its move to broadway.
Spanning the international disasters of war, the bitter feuds of american politics, and the intricate and equally bitter dynamics of one familys love and grief, jon robin baitzs other desert cities is a scintillating and sharply observed dark comedy, with themes of depression, addiction, family and memory. Jon robin baitzs new play flows like a daytime melodrama, detailing the living room of the wyeth family to its last beigecarpeted fiber. Other desert cities 2020 home northside theatre company. His play other desert cities opened offbroadway at the mitzi e newhouse theater lincoln center in new york on january 2011, it was originally titled love and mercy. Below is a scene from the arena stage production of other desert cities. Other desert cities trip other desert cities trip by. However, we have dozens of other monologues that you can read. Michelle barber as silda grauman and kelly mcandrew as brooke wyeth in. This is a very good play from 2012 that centers around the question who owns our story when we share it with other people. Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the familys history a. The play premiered offbroadway in january 2011 and transferred to broadway in november 2011, marking the. The less you know about jon robin baitzs other desert cities walking in, the better. Other desert cities is set in palm springs, california, 2004. The official database for broadway theatre information other desert cities broadway play original ibdb.
The facade begins to crack as the family gathers for the christmas. Other desert cities is a pulitzer prize nominated drama with a deliciously unpredictable script. In other desert cities, brooke wyeth returns home to palm sprin. In other desert cities, brooke wyeth returns home to palm springs to visit her parents after a sixyear absence. A play kindle edition by baitz, jon robin, moore, honor. California has a reputation as the land of fresh starts as everyone is in pursuit of a dream of one kind or another. Brooke wyeth returns home to palm springs after a sixyear absence to celebrate christmas with her parents, her brother, and her aunt. Spanning the international disasters of war, the bitter feuds of american politics, and the intricate and equally bitter dynamics of one familys love and grief, jon robin baitzs other desert cities is a scintillating and sharply observed dark comedy, with themes of. Julie ahasay, often given to fits of excitement, is beyond that over the opportunity to work with a group of actors on this witty, deeply moving play about a fascinating american family. Other desert cities characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. Polly wyeth returns to palm springs to spend christmas with her parents lifelong republicans on first name basis with the reagans and the bushes and her brother, who produces shlock reality tv. In its tale of a welloff, society family thats rocked by a daughters plan to publish a tellall family memoir, other desert cities unleashes a torrent of acting intensity that builds to a. The destination of other desert cities may be no great shakes, but the gettingthere is still well worth the trip. Desert french regency is the style, decorated for movie stars circa 1965, but somehow it still works, perhaps better now than it did in its.
Julie has directed the secret garden, amadeus, the 39 steps, the. Political comments like sildas notwithstanding, this is more a play about how families tear apart, while remaining bound ever more closely together, than it is about the mess demagogues in either party have brought to the national scene. Other desert cities is an intriguing play that was a little too slick and, in the end, slight for this reader. The play premiered off broadway in january 2011 and transferred to broadway in november 2011, marking the. Other desert cities script shop lincoln center theater. A finalist for the pulitzer prize for drama for 2012, other desert cities takes place in palm springs, california where a young woman brooke returns home for christmas to visit her parents polly and lyman, brother trip, and aunt silda. Stockard channing and thomas sadoski in a scene from lincoln center theaters offbroadway production of other desert cities, by jon robin baitz, directed by joe mantello. Love and turmoil heat up other desert cities at arena stage. Other desert cities opened in 2011 at the lincoln center theatre and transferred to broadway later the same year. The script crackles with life and so do the performances. When a oncepromising novelist returns home to palm springs to visit her parents conflict ensues after she announces the imminent. Other desert cities had its broadway premiere at the booth theatre, opening on november 3, 2011. It was named outstanding new offbroadway play by the outer critics circle and was a 2012 pulitzer prize finalist for drama.
First appearing on broadway in a hit production starring stacy keach and stockard channing, other desert cities examines the fractiousness of american politics through the prism of one family david rooney, hollywood reporter. Producer kathy friscic has a crack tech team in joe fava costumes, elise charlebois lightsound and tommy swimm and donald mealy. Other desert cities through march 9 at the lorettohilton center for the performing arts, edgar road, webster. New york when it premiered in january, jon robin baitz s first new play in six years, other desert cities, was smart and entertaining. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of other desert cities by jon robin baitz. But in its move to broadway, this domestic dustup has ripened significantly. A oncepromising novelist, she announces to her family the imminent publication of a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the familys history a. The play, which opens at the modern theater spokane tonight, is an intimate character drama about. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Whats more, just as other desert cities refers back to a politically charged time in the latevietnam era, so could a 1967 transplant version revolve around an act of inadvertent terrorism in the late1940s or early 1950s, when the cold war was raging and espionage and terrorism were occurring in the atomicrace era. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading other desert cities. It is where newcomers come seeking a better life, hoping to explore, invent or reinvent themselves and theyre going to. I say that we all live with each other s divergent truths and in spite of having deeply conflicting accounts, which dont matter anyway anymore growing rage, finally it all comes out and it is.