NEW YORK ‒ Welcome back, Selina Meyer.
For seven delectably irreverent seasons of HBO’s “Veep
,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus found uproarious new ways to humiliate herself and others as the vitriolic vice president of the United States. Making her Broadway debut in “Other Desert Cities,” the 11-time Emmy winner sinks her teeth into another acid-tongued narcissist, bringing much-needed bite to a rudderless revival that never quite gets its bearings.“Other Desert Cities,” which opened on Broadway Oct. 18, first played the Main Stem in 2011 with Stockard Channing and Judith Light. Written by Jon Robin Baitz, the overwrought yet occasionally incisive family drama is set on Christmas Eve 2004, following the mild-mannered Lyman Wyeth (Ed Harris) and his abrasively
out-of-touch wife, Polly (Louis-Dreyfus).
Both are former Hollywood hotshots who have now exiled themselves to the rugged vistas and country clubs of Palm Springs, California. You see, Lyman and Polly are staunch conservatives who believe that the coasts have been overrun by vegans, meth addicts and “lefties whining.” They love the Bushes almost as much as they relish spouting casual racism and homophobia – a constant sticking point with their grown daughter, Brooke (Lily Rabe), a liberal writer and recent divorcee who’s just now digging herself out of a years-long depression.
Joining the unhappy holidays are Brooke’s conciliatory brother, Trip (Joe Keery), and Polly’s newly sober sister, Silda (a sorely underutilized Allison Janney). As the cocktails flow, Brooke throws a grenade into the merrymaking when she announces that she’s written a memoir about the tragic suicide of her older sibling, Henry, who joined a radical, anti-war group and was implicated in firebombing a military recruitment center. The book casts blame on her parents for ostracizing Henry, and soon, a nasty battle of barbs breaks out among the Wyeth clan.
“Other Desert Cities” is at its most gripping and mordantly funny in the first act, as the Wyeths wrestle with Henry’s death and whose story it is to tell. Brooke argues that this is her trauma, too, and she has every right to broadcast it however she pleases, with or without her parents’ blessing. Polly and Lyman, meanwhile, view their son’s suicide as a source of great shame, and ask that out of respect for their family’s privacy, Brooke holds off on publishing until after they die.
It’s a thorny moral quandary that should invite debate, although confoundingly, Baitz undercuts the conflict with a preposterous second-act twist that completely defangs both parents. The normally terrific Rabe also seems to be beamed in from a totally different play than her co-stars, bringing a manic intensity and entitlement to Brooke that makes you sympathize far too easily with the blindsided Polly and Lyman.
Despite the considerable talent onstage, the shaky A-list stars never quite congeal as an ensemble. What should be a ferocious cage match instead feels like a bowling tournament with the bumpers up: Yes, everyone is trying their damnedest, but the fireworks sputter out before they can ever really ignite. Judging by the number of flubbed lines at a recent performance, perhaps director John Benjamin Hickey didn’t have enough time to work with his cast before the training wheels came off.
That said, Keery is sensational as the seemingly nonchalant Trip, whose family rarely stops to consider how he’s feeling. It’s a deceptively nuanced performance that resonates with any sibling who strives to carve out a life of their own and keep their nose out of any squabbles.
Louis-Dreyfus, too, goes for the jugular as Polly, who can kneecap her prey with even the most tossed-off zingers. (“You are never going to meet anyone if you continue to dress like a refugee from a library in Kabul,” she purrs disdainfully at Brooke.) Few actors can deliver a daggered punchline with more piquancy than Louis-Dreyfus, who imbues the character with a wounded obstinance and spite that makes Polly all the more fascinating.
On paper, “Other Desert Cities” makes a ton of sense to revive now, as it grapples with timely subjects of political correctness and party lines drawn within one’s own family. But look beyond its provocative mirage, and this arid production will leave you thirsting for more.
“Other Desert Cities” is now playing at the Hudson Theatre (141 W. 44th Street) through Jan. 17, 2027.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is dynamite in 'Other Desert Cities' – Review
