Other Desert Cities at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

Other Desert Cities

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Topanga

Jon Robin Baitz's funny, explosive and entertaining look at unruly family politics was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. At Theatricum, it's truly a family affair, with a cast that includes members of founder Will Geer's own family: daughters Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall, and granddaughter Willow Geer. The manicured life of a conservative actor-turned-politician and his impeccable wife is upset when relatives arrive at their Palm Springs home for the holidays — including politically liberal daughter Brooke who's about to publish a tell-all memoir.

Thru - Sep 30, 2017

Price: $25-$38.50

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 310-455-3723

www.theatricum.com

Other Desert Cities Reviews

Average Rating based on 6 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Recommended

"...Dramatically, the play presents some challenges to directors. The first act consists almost entirely of exposition, catching the audience up on the characters' complex back stories; the second act leaves several of them on the stage for long periods without much to do. Furthermore, characters this colorful tend to invite such hammy performances that the Wyeths don't always appear to be related. But director Mary Jo DuPrey builds a mounting tension in her cast that gets them through the slower bits, and they're persuasive not just as individuals but as a family. It helps that Ellen Geer really is Willow Geer's mother and Melora Marshall really is her aunt. Bramhall and Goldstein are such reliable presences on L.A. stages that they might as well be kin."

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- Margaret Gray

LA Splash - Recommended

"...As you've already probably noticed, this family drama is also a drama enacted by the Geer family (Will's daughters Ellen and Melora and granddaughter Willow). Each principal manages to make a distinct and indelible impression - a clear tribute to their acting skills. Director Mary Jo DuPrey helms the production with a compassionate hand, allowing each character the space to shine. And what can I say about the venue? The production team has, as always, managed to convert a mountainside into a home. The title? As you motor along Route 10, you will see a sign for Palm Spring - and also for "Other Desert Cities." Some have suggested that there might also be hints of other desert cities - those where war and mayhem are erupting on other continents."

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- Elaine L. Mura

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...Real-life sisters Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall and Geer's daughter Willow play characters with matching family ties in Theatricum Botanicum's superb outdoor revival of Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities."

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- Steven Stanley

Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended

"...Still, it feels as if the family drama and the political commentary are in two different plays. To be fair, an artist cannot predict what will occur after his or her art is created. But it is difficult to relate Baitz's themes to what is happening today when everything seems much more connected and politically polarized, or to imagine a place for Lyman and Polly in today's GOP. While Other Desert Cities is a riveting family drama, as political metaphor it is ultimately as provincial as its desert setting."

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- Jess Linde

Theatre Notes - Highly Recommended

"...The casting is ideal. Willow Geer's Brooke carries the rangy, emotional weight of the show with genuine in-the-moment spontaneity. As Polly, Ellen Geer perfectly embodies privileged hauteur coupled with drill-sergeant discipline. Mr. Bramhall's Lyman has the smoothness of an old actor, the balance of a diplomat, and he shows his comedic chops when he demonstrates one of his famous death scenes, which made me want to shout out, "Die again, Lyman! Die again!" Mr. Goldstein reveals the turmoil beneath the easy-going exterior of Trip, and Ms. Marshall, with her acerbic sarcasm as Silda, won the audience at her first appearance, which rewarded her with applause on her exit."

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- Paul Myrvold

The Fume of Sighs - Highly Recommended

"...OTHER DESERT CITIES is a good story, with a great twist. It grabs your attention and pulls you in, particularly in the second act. The playwright does not push a political viewpoint on the audience, but rather treats both the parents' convictions and the children's opinions with respect. Politics is not really the point of the play. Instead, OTHER DESERT CITIES wants you to think about the impossibility of really knowing the entirety of another person's life, even if you think you know them best. The play wants you to take with a grain of salt those memoirs and biographies written by third parties, because, really, how much can an author know a person when they're someone else!?"

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- Dena Burroughs

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Other Desert Cities at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum