Shelby Stivale — Theater Critic

Where Other Desert Cities really thrives is in its moments of levity. The show, at its core, is comment on how one’s mental health struggles impact those around them. But just when things are getting a bit too heavy for the audience, Allison Janney enters the chat. Playing Polly’s sister Silda, a recovering alcoholic, The West Wing star does what she does best: brings the laughs. And director John Benjamin Hickey, who won a 2011 Tony Award for his role as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart, has her lean into physical comedy. (One particularly standout moment has Janney smelling the alcohol residue left in a glass as she wishes to live in that scent.)