Other Desert Cities
If "Other Desert Cities" has one silver lining, it's the play's uncanny ability to attract the type of star power that blinds audiences to a mundane narrative. For its Broadway debut fifteen years ago, Jon Robin Baitz's mix of leaden one-liners and soapy seriousness enticed a talented cast that included Stockard Channing and Judith Light. It was a rewarding seduction: critical and commercial success led to a handful of Tony Award nominations, with a nod for Channing and a win for Light. Thanks to this outsized success, we are now beset by director John Benjamin Hickey's revival, which strands us with a new set of popular faces, each undoubtedly hoping that a similar oasis of acclaim will emerge from the same dry dramatic well. [more]