“American plays about troubled families are a dime a dozen...
But American plays which do more than merely flirt with politics are scarce, and those attempting to meld the personal and political, like Jon Robin Baitz's Pulitzer finalist "Other Desert Cities," are rarest of all. The combination of complex characters, thoughtful conflicts and outstanding acting makes Robert Egan's Taper production an absorbing, healing point of light during our chilly winter solstice.”
- Bob Verini, Variety
“Funny, fierce and immensely entertaining.”
- New York Daily News
It’s Christmas Eve in Palm Springs when Brooke presents her Reagan-adjacent parents with a tell-all confessional novel that turbo-charges the holidays and the Wyeth family dynamic with ever-shifting alliances and politics.
Pulitzer Prize-finalist Jon Robin Baitz’s smart new play of high drama, serious laughter and repartee that dazzles and decimates was one of the hottest tickets on Broadway last season.
Set in the desert playground so familiar to Southern Californians, Other Desert Cities will seem right at home on the Taper stage when former Taper Producing Director Robert Egan (Closer, Arcadia) continues his longtime collaboration with Baitz (in Los Angeles, Film Society and Ten Unknowns).
“The most richly enjoyable new play for grown-ups in many a season.”
- The New York Times
Feature Article from The Orange County Register, Nov. 30, 2012
'Other Desert Cities' takes aim at America's political divide
By PAUL HODGINS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
American filmmakers have long been attracted to politics. From "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "All the King's Men" to "Wag the Dog" and "Milk," movie directors and screenwriters have found fertile material in the turmoil of the political arena. Of Often they tackle their subjects head on, preferring facts and history to metaphor and fiction.
This country's playwrights, on the other hand, have no such track record. Plays such as "Angels in America" and "The Laramie Project" are imbued with politics but not driven exclusively by them at the thematic level. More online at Orange County Register
Jon Robin Baitz on Other Desert Cities
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The playwright talks about his new family drama which debuted last year at Lincoln Center Theatre. The link will take you to the video on the New York Times website. |
Good Day L.A.
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JoBeth Williams talks with Steve Edwards about “Other Desert Cities” on FOXTV’s “Good Day L.A.”
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