Theater Review: Other Desert Cities

War Rages Overseas and at Home
Lauren Yarger
War rages on the deserts of Iraq and in the desert-toned Palm Springs living room of the Wyeth family in Jon Robin Baitz’ witty and moving new play Other Desert Cities playing Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center.

Baitz uses humor and some excellent writing skills to create flawed characters you care about and who care about each other. Bringing them to life are excellent performances, directed by Joe Mantello.

Stockard Channing and Stacy Keach play Polly and Lyman Wyeth, well-to-do bigwigs in the Republican Party who emerge from a sort-of self-imposed, reclusive existence in Palm Springs to hobnob with the Reagans and Bushes (most of the play is set in 2004). Every so often Polly also enjoys taking pots shots that reveal underlying prejudices.

Interrupting the peace is a rare visit from their liberal daughter, Brooke (Elizabeth Marvel), whose marriage is on the rocks and who, after suffering a breakdown, has come to drop a bomb: she’s written a memoir that exposes some of the families secrets and will embarrass the Wyeths, particularly her ex-ambassador father. Keach is really solid as the passive father who refuses to read an advanced copy of the book so he won‘t have to criticize his daughter. Polly, on the other hand, devours the manuscript, and threatens Brooke with being cut off from the family permanently if it is published.

Trying to keep the peace is Brooke’s TV producer brother, Trip (Thomas Sadoski), whose reality trial TV show with a jury of celebrities gives him some background for mediating disputes. He loves Brooke, but also better understands his parents, with whom he still lives.

Meanwhile, they all have to deal with Polly’s sister, Silda Grauman (a wonderfully loopy Linda Lavin), who recently moved in with the Wyeths to try to kick her alcoholism. The new resident, however, might just prove to be a spy and enemy behind the lines in this family battle. She urges Brooke to publish, despite her parents pleas to wait until after they are dead. Channing’s already solid portrayal gets bonus points when Polly becomes agitated and slips into a Texas drawl that the society-conscious woman otherwise manages to mask, along with hers and Silda’s Jewish roots.

What’s so wonderful about this engaging play is that we absolutely don’t like, then come to like, or vice versa, each of these characters (even the rather selfish and unpleasant Brooke who wins us over in the end with a stunning emotional piece of acting from Marvel). The love they feel for each other despite past hurts and differences in political ideology is evident and keeps the Wyeths from slipping into the “dysfunctional family” template that has everyone screaming with the hatred we so often have to endure on stage.

It doesn’t even feel as though the stuffy, hypocritical Wyeths are necessarily supposed to be a stereotype of every Republican. They just are who they are. Will they be able to weather this crisis and maintain the family relationships? In the end, they’ll need to figure out what matters most and be judged by how well they have loved, Trip tells them.

The play is infused with some really funny dialogue and terrific writing that make you want to high-five the author and say,” Well done!” Mantello creates a natural feel to the family relationships with good-natured horseplay between the siblings, an intimate look between husband and wife, etc., which adds to the feel that these folks are real, not just stereotypes. This also is fueled by Baitz’ well-written play, devoid of much exposition, but full of pregnant pauses and lines dropped suddenly in the crisp dialogue that tell us what we need to know.

Enhancing the production are John Lee Beatty’s fabulous set, which with its neutral tones and soft curves, does conjure the image of a desert, and David Zinn’s costumes which immediately tell us volumes about the characters wearing them.

Other Desert Cities quenches a thirst for good plays this theater season and is the best I have seen so far. It plays through Feb. 27 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, 150 West 65th St., Lincoln Center, NYC. For tickets call 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250 outside New York.

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