Julia louis-dreyfus to make her broadway debut with 'Other Desert Cities' play
London, May 26
Emmy-winning actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is set to make her Broadway debut this fall in 'Other Desert Cities' alongside Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery and Lily Rabe, reported Variety.
Set in sunny Palm Springs, the story follows a wealthy, politically conservative family whose Christmas is upended when their daughter returns home to reveal she's written an explosive tell-all memoir.
The logline teases: "As the past comes into focus, the question isn't just what happened, but who owns a family's story, and what is the cost to tell it."
According to the outlet, 'Other Desert Cities' will play for Broadway's Hudson Theatre, with previews starting September 29 ahead of opening night on October 18. The limited engagement will end on January 17.
John Benjamin Hickey is directing the revival of Jon Robin Baitz's play, which was first staged at Lincoln Center in 2011 before transferring to Broadway later that year.
"I had, more or less, talked myself out of imagining 'Other Desert Cities' back in New York. But John Hickey is family to me, and I trust him completely. We go back longer than I ever imagined: he hears a play - its ideas, its feeling, its music - with an intelligence and knowingness that anchors a room," Baitz said as quoted by Variety.
"And with this company of actors, a playwright dreams about, I thought that if there were still something alive in it, they would find it. What's slightly unnerving is that nearly 20 years later, through all the fractures and divisions, the questions remain the same: how to live with who we are and what we've done and call that a life," added Baitz.
'Other Desert Cities' is produced by ATG Productions, Bad Robot Live, Gavin Kalin Productions, Kristin Caskey, Bee Carrozzini and Mike Isaacson.
According to Variety, the design team includes Scott Pask (scenic design), Tom Broecker (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), Mikaal Sulaiman (sound design and original music), Robert Pickens (hair and wig design), Richard Hodge (production stage manager) and Jim Carnahan (casting director).
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is exciting! Louis-Dreyfus is a legend, and Ed Harris is brilliant too. The plot about a daughter returning to a conservative family with a tell-all memoir—that's so relatable, even for us in India. I think of those joint family dynamics where everyone hides things. The question "who owns a family's story" is powerful. But I wish they had more diverse casts on Broadway. Still, good to see such talent on stage. 🙂
Finally, Julia on Broadway! She's been killing it on TV for decades. 'Other Desert Cities' sounds like a family drama that could work in any culture—in India, the whole "explosive tell-all memoir" thing would be a huge scandal, especially in smaller towns. The cast is stacked: Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery, Lily Rabe. That's like a dream team! I hope they bring this to cinemas or digital platforms for us abroad. 🌍
I'm looking forward to this! Jon Robin Baitz is a brilliant playwright. But I have to say, the play first staged in 2011—so this is a revival. That's fine, great works deserve revivals. The theme of family secrets and memoir is timeless. In India, memoirs are becoming popular too, but families often resist when the truth hurts. I wonder if this play will make it to India for a tour? Probably not, but one can hope. 🤞
Great pick for Julia's debut! The political conservative family angle reminds me of some tensions we see here too—like in Indian politics, families split over ideologies. The logline about "who owns a story" is deep. I just wish Broadway tickets weren't so expensive for us regular folks. But for fans of good theatre, this is a must-see. Go Julia! 👏
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