Other Desert Cities opens at Baldwin Theatre Oct 31

For many of us, the holidays are all about family—and sometimes family gatherings are more about conflict than comfort and joy. Other Desert Cities, an engagingly entertaining and thought-provoking dramedy by Jon Robin Baitz (writer of television’s Brothers & Sisters), opens October 31st and runs through November 16th at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette in downtown Royal Oak.

For the Wyeth family, Christmas 2004 is going to be a memorable one. Parents Polly (Jane MacFarlane of Pleasant Ridge) and Lyman (Randall Wrisinger of Royal Oak), comfortably retired politicos who served the GOP faithfully during the Reagan era, are hosting their grown children, Brooke (Julie Fuller of Ferndale) and Trip (Josh Bartlett of Detroit), for the holidays. Joining them is Polly’s sister Silda (Stephanie Samuel-Lucas of Windsor, Ontario), a recovering alcoholic with leftist leanings and a loose tongue. When Brooke reveals that she’s about to publish a tell-all memoir that dredges up a traumatic family event involving Henry, the politically radical son no one likes to talk about, the family is thrown into turmoil. The already fragile family connections begin to fray as each person must confront the painful truth of the family’s past.

Director Dianne Sievers of Royal Oak says she was drawn to direct Other Desert Cities because the play is “just a wonderfully written story” about relationships and family dynamics. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012, it was deemed “funny and fierce” by the New York Daily Times. Sievers agrees. “The characters’ dialogue is funny, even though it is a drama. They are very smart people with a sense of humor that is acerbic and sarcastic. The emotions they feel for each other are so strong ... sometimes that word “fierce” ... defines it.”

The character-driven play requires a talented group of actors who work well together while plumbing the depths of their own characters. Sievers believes she’s found that in the cast’s five seasoned performers, all of whom have appeared in previous Stagecrafters’ productions. Sievers says they love the play and feel a deep connection to the characters. “I have an amazing cast of actors. They jumped right in,” she says, exploring their characters and drawing parallels with situations and people in their own families in order to flesh out their roles. She hopes that audiences will be entertained, while giving “some thought to their own family dynamics.” No better way to prepare for the holidays.

Other Desert Cities premiered Off Broadway on January 13, 2011, and moved to Broadway in November of the same year. Original Broadway cast members include Stockard Channing playing the role of Polly, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress and Judith Light as Silda, for which she won Best Featured Actress. Other Desert Cities received five Tony Award nominations and was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Patrons attending the October 31st opening night performance are invited to attend the 7 pm pre-glow of complimentary light hors d’oeuvres and beverages hosted by BlackFinn Ameripub of Royal Oak.

Advance tickets for performances are $18 on Thursdays, $20 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets may be purchased online at www.stagecrafters.org (online handling fees apply) or by phone at 248-541-6430 using Visa or MasterCard. All seats are reserved. If shows have not sold out, tickets can be purchased at the box office one hour prior to the performance for an additional $2.00 per ticket. Student, military and senior discounts are available for specific performances. The historic Baldwin Theatre is located at 415 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak. Other Desert Cities is rated M for mature language and content and has a running time of 2.25 hours.

Show dates and times follow:
Friday, October 31 8:00 pm Complimentary pre-glow by BlackFinn Ameripub
Saturday, November 1 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 2 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 6 8:00 pm
Friday, November 7 8:00 pm
Saturday, November 8 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 9 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 13 8:00 pm
Friday, November 14 8:00 pm
Saturday, November 15 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 16 2:00 pm