Revival of ‘Other Desert Cities’ Brings Star‑Studded Cast to Palm Springs Family Drama

The revived production of Jon Robin Baitz’s “Other Desert Cities,” returning to the stage for the first time since 2011, premieres this week with Julia Louis‑Dreyfus, Ed Harris and Allison Janney leading a raw family drama set in post‑9/11 America. Directed by John Benjamin Hickey, the play opens on Christmas Eve 2004 inside the Wyeths’ expansive Palm Springs home, a beige living room dominated by a towering Christmas tree crowned with a Star of David, designed by scenic veteran Scott Pask. Polly (Louis‑Dreyfus) and Lyman (Harris), a former film writer and a retired Hollywood star, welcome their adult children Trip (Joe Keery), a reality‑TV producer from Los Angeles, and Brooke (Lily Rabe), a writer emerging from a decade‑long battle with depression, along with Polly’s sister Silda (Allison Janney) who is recuperating from alcohol‑addiction rehab. Political tension surfaces as the Republican‑leaning parents clash with the more liberal children over casual racism and holiday plans, including a lobster dinner at the country club. Brooke shocks the family by announcing a forthcoming memoir that details the suicide of her older brother Henry, who died after a cult‑linked bombing that killed another man. The revelation ends the festive mood; Lyman refuses to read the manuscript but asks Brooke to delay publication until after his and Polly’s deaths, while Polly reads it, erupts in fury, and threatens to disown her daughter. A series of heated confrontations culminates in Lyman unveiling a long‑held secret that leaves Brooke trembling. The ensemble shifts smoothly between biting wit—Polly quips that sarcasm is “only for teenagers and homosexuals”—and volatile outbursts, painting a vivid portrait of a modern American family torn by politics, ideology and buried trauma.

Context

The play uses the aftermath of the September 11 attacks as a backdrop to examine how personal and political wounds can intertwine, reflecting broader cultural divides that have intensified in the United States over the past two decades.