DAZZLED IN THE DESERT

A star-studded revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s
family drama impresses even as its
political conflicts feel increasingly distant

Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth,’ Joe Keery as ‘Trip Wyeth,’ and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as ‘Polly Wyeth’

Have you ever felt dazzled and detached—at the same time—while watching the performance of a play? I found myself in that conundrum while sitting through the powerful revival of Other Desert Cities, which just opened on Broadway.

Joe Keery as ‘Trip Wyeth’ & Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth’

Let’s do the “dazzled” first. Other Desert Cities (written in 2011) provides an opportunity for an ensemble of super-starry actors to play rich, beautifully crafted roles in a compelling American family drama. It also affords us a chance to admire the superb writing of a contemporary American playwright.

Allison Janney as ‘Silda Grauman’ & Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth’

Set in 2004, Jon Robin Baitz’s play tells the story of the Wyeth family and a terrible secret that is revealed with traumatic consequences. Polly (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Lyman Wyeth (Ed Harris) are a prominent, wealthy, Republican-conservative couple now retired and living in Palm Springs, California. Polly, a successful TV scriptwriter, and Lyman, a former movie star-turned-ambassador (appointed by Reagan), are taking their two grown children—Trip (Joe Keery), a TV producer, and Brooke (Lily Rabe), a writer—out for a family dinner on Christmas Eve. But their plans are interrupted by Brooke’s announcement that she has found a publisher for her second book—a memoir about her brother Henry, the third and eldest Wyeth child who, until now, no one has wanted to talk about. As we discover, Henry was a radical anti-Iraq-war protester who joined an underground movement that was subsequently responsible for bombing an American army station, resulting in a death. Rather than suffer an arrest, Henry chose to kill himself.

Ed Harris as ‘Lyman Wyeth,’ Julia Louis-Dreyfus as ‘Polly Wyeth,’ and Joe Keery as ‘Trip Wyeth’

The various members of the family have dealt with Henry’s suicide in different ways. Lyman won’t talk about it; Polly dismisses it. Trip hardly remembers his brother, Henry, who died when Trip was five. But Brooke, who worshipped Henry, suffered years of depression over his loss. As a result, she was hospitalized and is now surviving on strong medication. The writing of this memoir has been therapy for her, and she wants her parents to read the proofs and approve of the publication before chapters of the book are released. Apprehensively, they agree—and are horrified by its contents, in which Brooke blames her parents for Henry’s suicide. An explosive family crisis ensues, in which Brooke attacks her parents, claiming that Henry came to them for help and was rejected. All participate in the family meltdown, joined by Silda (Allison Janney), Polly’s alcoholic sister, who, as it turns out, had secretly encouraged Brooke to write the book and had even helped edit it. And then there’s a sudden, shocking reveal, which turns the entire play upside down (yours to discover, with amazement).

Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth’ & Ed Harris as ‘Lyman Wyeth’

The performances are “dynamite,” directed by John Benjamin Hickey (on Scott Pask’s traditional, sun-washed California set) to maximize the story’s melodramatic effect. Making her Broadway debut (if you can believe it!) as Polly, Julia Louis-Dreyfus ignites the ensemble as an imperious, sharp-tongued matriarch who chooses sarcasm as a way of coping in this family crisis. Ed Harris moved me most as her soft-hearted, guilt-ridden husband. Allison Janney meets the challenge of her complex role—attention-grabbing at first, then ashamed when the depth of her betrayal is revealed. As Brooke, the suffering sister, Lily Rabe chooses relentless rage as the dominant tone of her tortured character. Meanwhile, Joe Keery is a welcome surprise as the youngest Wyeth, who utters the play’s definitive moral about family in crisis: that, when we’re all gone, all that will have mattered is “how we loved.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as ‘Polly Wyeth’ & Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth’

Moreover, what also “dazzled” me is Jon Robin Baitz’s strong, solid dramaturgy (the play premiered in 2011, moved to Broadway later that year, and garnered great recognition, including being a Pulitzer Prize finalist and receiving five Tony nominations). Other Desert Cities follows in the tradition of the American family dramas by O’Neill, Miller, and August Wilson. The one that springs immediately to mind is Miller’s All My Sons, which also features two sons—one dead, one living—and a devastating family secret revealed at the end.

Ed Harris as ‘Lyman Wyeth’ & Lily Rabe as ‘Brooke Wyeth’

Now for my above-mentioned “detachment” issue. Full disclosure: I lived through the terrible anti-war protests of the late sixties (one of my college mates was a Weatherman and served time in prison; one of my fellow students in high school was involved in anti-war activities and fled to Canada). So I recall firsthand how intergenerational conflict tore families apart.

Allison Janney as ‘Silda Grauman’ & Julia Louis-Dreyfus as ‘Polly Wyeth’

But my issue here is the timing of this revival. There has been so much radical change in the conservative movement since the play took place in 2004 that it’s difficult to know how to respond to Lyman and Polly, who seem relatively harmless compared to some of the outspoken, destructive right-wingers of today. Furthermore, whereas the clash between the characters in Mr. Baitz’s play has to do with the war in Iraq and how it’s viewed by different generations, there are other critical conflicts that dominate today—namely, the economy, immigration, and race—involving participants of all ages.

And yet, the conflict between the suffering Wyeths remains painful and deeply moving, and the elements of love, loss, and forgiveness are universal. I hope that Mr. Baitz will write an urgently needed new play that will help us make sense of family and conflict in our own troubled, traumatic times.

Ed Harris as ‘Lyman Wyeth,’ & Julia Louis-Dreyfus as ‘Polly Wyeth’

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photos by Emilio Madrid

Other Desert Cities
Hudson Theatre, 141 West 44th Street in New York
ends on January 17, 2027
for tickets, visit Other Desert Cities Broadway

for more shows, visit Theatre in New York

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