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About
Pat Launer, Center Stage on KSDS JAZZ88
May 10, 2013
There are two gasp-worthy moments in The Old Globe production of the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Other Desert Cities.”
The first comes when you enter the theater, and see Alexander Dodge’s jaw-dropping set, a sprawling, drool-inducing living room in Palm Springs, with a drop-dead view of craggy mountains and stately palm trees. The second comes at the last act’s big reveal.
But both moments are a bit diminished in effect. The house, gorgeous as it is, dwarfs the people in it. And the stunning revelation is followed by a superfluous coda that spells everything out, underscored by spotlighting the now-dead parents as their daughter tells us all that transpired in the six years elapsed since the main events of the play. How much more intriguing it would have been for acclaimed playwright Jon Robin Baitz to leave us with a frisson of ambiguity, wondering just how the daughter resolved her moral dilemma.
But, the rest of the evening is scintillating, superbly written, excellently cast, expertly acted and very well directed. On opening night, the sound balance seemed off; if an actor turned upstage, we lost some of the sparkling, whip-smart dialogue.
The Wyeths are natural entertainers: the father, a wonderfully world-weary Robert Foxworth, was an actor; Mom and her alcoholic sister – the fabulously funny and acerbic Kandis Chappell and Robin Pearson Rose – used to be a screenwriting team. The clever, pot-smoking L.A. son, spot-on Andy Bean, produces a vapid TV show.
And then there’s splendid Dana Green as Brooke, who never got over the death of her brother, and has a stint in a psychiatric hospital to prove it. After a long time in New York – for which she’s repeatedly chastised by her desert-loving parents – she’s returned with the manuscript of a new book – a memoir, all about her brother’s implication in a bombing that cause a death, and his own suicide. How her parents rejected him when he asked for help. How the whole family was complicit in his deterioration.
And oh, yes, the book is already set for publication and is about to be excerpted in the New Yorker – which will undoubtedly destroy the carefully-crafted Republican bona fides of her parents, who were groomed by Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Their offspring, along with Aunt Silda , are fierce liberals, one of many bones of contention in this barb-throwing, caustic clan.
It’s a delicious and intense visit with an amusing, not-so lovable family grappling with issues of love, loyalty and appearances… and how far folks will go to protect them. The production is beautiful, with notable costumes and lighting. The play forces us to confront our own families and choices.
Theater is best when it’s meaty, giving you something to sink your teeth into and chew on later.
“Other Desert Cities” continues through June 2 at The Old Globe.
©2013 PAT LAUNER
MUSIC SELECTIONS
FOR THEATER REVIEW
Center Stage with Pat Launer on KSDS JAZZ88
THEATER REVIEW
“OTHER DESERT CITIES” – The Old Globe
May 10, 2013
IN/OUT: “Grand Illusion” (Joan Osborne; Styx; Kelly Hansen)
“Secrets and Lies” (Camp Susannah; Abandon Ship; Blank & Jones; The Hermit Crabs; Jonathan Brooke
“Masquerade” (The Carpenters)
THEATER PROMO
Center Stage with Pat Launer on KSDS JAZZ88
THEATER REVIEW
“OTHER DESERT CITIES” – The Old Globe
May 10, 2013
Hi, I’m Pat Launer… Join me Center Stage, on Jazz 88.3, for my regular theater review. This week, no one spits poison like your family. Catch my review of “Other Desert Cities,” coming up tomorrow (this) morning at 9, on San Diego’s Jazz 88.3.
I’m Pat Launer, Center Stage on San Diego’s Jazz88.3.
Center Stage with Pat Launer
THEATER REVIEW
“OTHER DESERT CITIES” – The Old Globe
May 10, 2013
INTRO:
A FAMILY IN CRISIS AND CONFLICT… KSDS THEATER CRITIC PAT LAUNER REVIEWS “OTHER DESERT CITIES” AT THE OLD GLOBE.
OUTRO :
“OTHER DESERT CITIES” CONTINUES THROUGH JUNE 2 AT THE OLD GLOBE.
PAT WILL BE BACK WITH A THEATER REVIEW NEXT FRIDAY AT 9AM, WITH AN ENCORE PRESENTATION EVERY SATURDAY MORNING AT 9.
YOU CAN READ AND LISTEN TO HER REVIEWS ONLINE, ANY TIME, AT JAZZ88.ORG.
