Jon Robin Baitz’s 2011 family drama “Other Desert Cities” returns to Broadway at the Hudson Theatre for the holidays, staging a family reunion that quickly becomes a political and personal showdown. The revival brings together veteran performers including Ed Harris, Allison Janney and Lily Rabe, and marks the stage debuts of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Joe Keery, with Allison Janney also reprising her Broadway presence in the new production. The play is set in Palm Springs and follows a holiday visit that exposes grief, memory and long-held secrets within a well-off family.
Review outlets largely agree that performances stand out, particularly those of Louis-Dreyfus and the ensemble, even as critical opinions diverge on the production’s overall impact. Some critics praise the cast and the staging’s alignment with performers’ strengths, arguing the play still has something to say and remains timely. Others find the revival uneven or less compelling, questioning whether its once-pressing political themes land with the same force and whether the production truly reinvigorates the material. Across coverage, the debate centers on how relevant the play’s ideas feel now, versus how powerfully the actors deliver the story’s emotional core.
