It’s Christmas 2004, during the early part of what will become the decade-long US-Iraq conflict. In an echo of that overseas conflict, a home located in the sun-drenched affluence of Palm Springs becomes a family war zone of clashing ideologies and hidden secrets.
The play is Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities. Alumnae Theatre’s new production of the Broadway hit, directed by Ilana Linden, captures vividly both the time period and the play’s emotional and thematic intricacy. Other Desert Cities follows Brooke Wyeth, a liberal writer recovering from a breakdown and six years of writer’s block. She returns to her wealthy, conservative parents’ west-coast home to announce the upcoming publication of her memoir. The draft of this book – which would expose a long-buried family secret surrounding her late brother Henry – explodes like a domestic version of the improvised explosive devices challenging American soldiers in the deserts of Iraq. But Brooke is determined to reveal the truth, disrupting the family’s fragile harmony and forcing them to confront decades-old grief, guilt and political divides.
The ensemble rises admirably to the challenge of this 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist, offering a compelling evening of theatre. Central to the story is the searing conflict between Polly Wyeth (Lynn Oldershaw) and her daughter Brooke (Melody Schaal). Oldershaw commands the stage with her nuanced portrayal of Polly, a former screenwriter and fiercely protective matriarch whose withering tongue and steely resolve mask a well of pain and love. Her performance is well-matched by Schaal’s Brooke, who brings vulnerability, determination and pathos to her role as a gifted writer intent on publishing her memoir, despite her family’s vehement opposition. The tension between these two women – each grappling with grief, identity, and their own version of the truth – is riveting and provides the play’s emotional core. In fact, their fiery performances mask some of the script’s shortcomings.
Rounding out the cast are the other family members. Rob Scavone imbues patriarch Lyman with quiet dignity and vulnerability. He is a father who is at a loss in more ways than one – which lends humanity to a role that might otherwise seem one-dimensional. Bobby Markov’s Trip, the youngest sibling and hotshot TV producer – and Deena Baltman’s Silda, who is Polly’s sister and former script-writing partner – provide a welcome blend of pragmatism and comic relief, serving as helpful counterweights to the family’s frequent heated confrontations.
The story unfolds in the Wyeth’s living room, and Zahra Lokhandwala’s gorgeous set design evokes the elegant, yet stifling atmosphere of the family’s wealth and status. Its clean lines, cool tones, and understated touches of elegance reflect both the allure of privilege and the carefully curated façade that Polly and Lyman work to maintain. Flanked on either side by crack-filled stone walls, the set eloquently speaks of the family’s outward sheen laced with emotional fault lines.
Andrea Stewart’s sound design ushers us into and out of the play with clips of the political voices of the time, especially those of President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. (For younger audience members, the references to Reagan-era politics and the key political and social figures of the play’s setting will feel remote and mysterious, so the glossary in the house program is well worth perusing.) This tactic effectively situates us within the fear- and propaganda -filled atmosphere of 2004.
But while this conflict seemed so existential at the time, it – and the right-left political conflicts which surrounded it – feel almost quaint in the harsh light of 2025. And the play’s political messaging feels a bit heavy-handed, with the liberal viewpoint presented with greater sympathy and conviction, while the conservative perspectives voiced by Polly and Lyman teeter on the edge of caricature – especially in their use of racial slurs. To my ear, the dialogue at times feels less like the natural conversation of fully-realized individuals than the sparring of debaters taking flourish-filled, scripted turns defending their positions. So I applaud the cast for not letting these exchanges devolve into simple shouting matches. They mine the text for its emotional depth, and ground their performances in the underlying themes of reconciliation and forgiveness. Under Linden’s considered direction, the ensemble delivers a production that is ultimately thought-provoking: had they not, the play’s 2 hour and 30 minute runtime would feel excessive.
As we enter a new era of more extreme political conservatism and fear mongering, Other Desert Cities reminds us of the relevance of Baitz’s themes – particularly the play’s ultimate focus on ties that bind us and which can also tear us apart. The production is on stage at the Alumnae Theatre mainstage until February 2, 2025. Visit alumnaetheatre.com to reserve tickets.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
