Overview
Synopsis
When Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs for Christmas in 2004, she is unable to relax into the prickly, yet loving, embrace of her wealthy California family. Brooke has been in continuous rebellion against her conservative parents -- father Lyman, a former Republican ambassador, and mother Polly, a brittle perfectionist-- for a long time, moving to the East Coast and adopting liberal political beliefs, but she still craves their approval. She is anxious about revealing her publishing plans for her new memoir, about the suicide of her beloved older brother, Henry, who was involved in the anti-war bombing of a draft board during the Vietnam War and brought disgrace to his unforgiving mother and father. Over the course of Christmas Eve, Brooke spars with her parents, reminisces with her charming younger brother Trip, and receives the dubious emotional support of her alcoholic aunt, Silda. When the news of Brooke’s memoir is revealed, Polly and Lyman are faced with a choice -- either reveal a shocking secret that they have kept for decades, or risk exposure when the world reads their story. Spanning the international disasters of war, the bitter feuds of American politics, and the intricate and equally bitter dynamics of one family’s love and grief, Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities is a scintillating and sharply observed dark comedy, with themes of depression, addiction, family and memory.
Show Information
- Book
- Jon Robin Baitz
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2010
- Genres
- Drama, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- christmas eve, 2004, palm springs
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- community theatre, professional / regional theatre, college / university theatre, small cast, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Small Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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