NEW YORK — Television star Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her Broadway debut on Sunday night, starring as family matriarch Polly Wyeth in a revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s drama “Other Desert Cities” at the Hudson Theatre.
Directed by John Benjamin Hickey, the production marks the first Broadway staging of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated work since its premiere in 2011. Running two and a half hours with one intermission, the revival features an ensemble that includes Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Lily Rabe and Joe Keery.
A holiday reunion unravels
The play takes place on Christmas Eve in 2004 at a luxurious Palm Springs, California, residence designed by scenic designer Scott Pask. Polly and her husband, Lyman Wyeth, played by Harris, are wealthy, conservative Hollywood retirees with ties to former President Ronald Reagan. Gathering for the holiday are Polly’s sister Silda, a recovering alcoholic played by Janney; their television-producer son Trip, played by Keery; and their daughter Brooke, played by Rabe, an East Coast writer returning after an extended absence.
The festive atmosphere collapses when Brooke announces that she plans to publish an autobiographical memoir about her late older brother, Henry. Decades earlier, Henry died by suicide following his involvement in an antiwar recruiting station bombing. Brooke’s parents, who have long avoided speaking their deceased son’s name, react with alarm and anger, triggering a bitter family confrontation over long-buried secrets. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.
Critics offer divided assessments
Reviews published following the Sunday opening offered differing viewpoints on how effectively the production balanced acerbic humor with traumatic domestic revelations.
Variety offered high praise for the revival, describing it as “gutting, witty and painfully timely.” The review praised the ensemble’s chemistry, noting that the performers smoothly navigated between biting satire and devastating emotional conflict as the family’s concealed history emerged.
Other reviewers felt the staging tilted unevenly between comedic punchlines and deep tragedy. TheWrap reported that Louis-Dreyfus brought sharp timing and brittle levity to a role previously played with solemn gravitas by Stockard Channing, observing that the first act played heavily as a comedy. TheWrap also highlighted Harris for anchoring the dramatic weight of the final scenes.
The New York Post described the revival as a gathering of famous personalities that never fully clicked as a believable family unit. While the publication praised individual turns, specifically singling out Keery for commanding the room during a candid second-act monologue, it argued that the play’s emotional temperature dropped once Brooke’s revelations halted the rapid-fire jokes.
A review from Vulture questioned how well the 2004-era political themes and wealthy family angst held up for modern audiences. Vulture commended Janney’s dry wit and Harris’ mournful dignity, but concluded that the production struggled to bridge the gap between glossy melodrama and serious emotional payoff.
The production continues performances at the Hudson Theatre, with box office figures and audience reception in the coming weeks set to show whether the star-packed cast can sustain momentum through the autumn season.
