Review: OTHER DESERT CITIES at Bellevue Little Theatre Packs a Punch

I haven’t loved a play as much as this one for a long time. Other Desert Cities at Bellevue Little Theatre hits so many pulse points as it navigates the complexities of the Wyeth family on Christmas Eve in 2004.

Jon Robin Baitz has crafted a play that not only examines the vast gap between political parties and the difficulties that arise within a family of mixed perspectives, it carves out grief over loss of a loved one and secrets which damage even further. This play premiered on Broadway in 2011 and was a finalist for a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for drama. It is a win in my estimation. The dialogue is smart. The concept is relevent. The characters are deeply developed.

Adam J. Fulbright, an accomplished actor himself, sets the bar high for this cast of five fine actors. The story lives in the words of these five and not a word should be missed. Fortunately, Sound Designer Joe Mokrycki combines his expertise with the clear enunciation and projection of the actors, ensuring not a syllable is dropped. Fulbright keeps a tight pace. Arguments are real. Emotions resonate. Actions are not wasted. 

Brooke Wyeth, a divorced writer who lives on the East Coast, is back visiting her parents  Lyman and Polly in their home in Palm Springs after a six year absence. She is building up the courage to present her current book, a memoir, to them and to her brother, Trip. This takes a leap of faith as the sections of the work are set to be published in The New Yorker in two months. The problem arises from the content. Brooke tells her story of losing her older brother, Henry, to a horrific incident with his subsequent suicide. Not only is this a blot on the family name, it portrays her parents as contributing to the tragedy by their rigid political beliefs in an era of Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell along with their uncaring dismissal of their son.

Analisa Swerczek is superb in her delivery of Brooke, a liberal woman who has been dealing with hospitalization for depression, divorce, and writer’s block. She is resolute in her intention to publish her tell all book even though it will damage her parents’ reputations and dredge up pain. She loves her parents. But she loves truth, too. And as her Aunt Silda (Deb Spencer) said, “Telling the truth can be a very expensive hobby.”

BevAnn Philips is equally fantastic as Polly. She is hardheaded, patriotic to a fault, and forthright enough to call a spade a spade. She claims “lefties” are “whiners” and believes that it is a character flaw to show weakness. Polly pulls no punches when she confronts her daughter. She thinks Brooke is not okay and her job as a mother is never done.

Jack Zerbe as Lyman is a former Hollywood actor who went on to become an ambassador. He memorializes his past with posters of his films on the walls and namedropping his important friends Ronny and Nancy Reagan. He seems to be the peace loving father. Until he is pressed and shows his other side. Zerbe delivers an impressive progression from passivity to extreme anguish.

Marcel Howard Jr. could not be a better Trip. Trip is the brother who loves every person in his family and wants to maintain peace. He has read Brooke’s memoir and tells Brooke in brutal honesty that she is painting their parents as right wing sociopaths. On the flip side, he tells her she has the right to write whatever she wants. He runs a television program about jury trials which becomes a metaphor for his stuck in the middle opinion. His jury is still out. 

Deb Spencer colors Polly’s sister Silda with a languid presence, at times sleeping on the couch or lounging in a chair. She calls Palm Springs “filled with mummies with tans.” She dreams of Nazis. She embodies a woman fresh from rehab who has nothing in her life but memories of unsuccessful pictures she wrote with Polly. Silda staunchly embraces Brooke’s writing and her political views. Sibling love between her and Polly is rocky, but it is not dissolving over differences. 

The set designed by Joey Lorinz is great. The backdrop of desert hills with a soft lighting is peaceful and makes a sharp contrast with the conflict in the room. Costumer Designer Sara Scheidies and Props Designer Riley Pope work together with Lorinz to make all the visuals appropriate for the time and place. Every piece is simple, yet pleasing to the eye.

I can’t say enough about this show. The script is really smart. The acting is natural and believable. The feelings are raw. It is a definite “must see” if you want something to keep your eyes open and your pulse beating.

Other Desert Cities runs at BLT January 16-February 1.