Other Desert Cities begins Broadway performances tonight, September 29, at the Hudson Theatre, bringing together Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Joe Keery and Lily Rabe.
The production is scheduled to celebrate its opening night on October 18. Its Broadway engagement is a limited run, with performances currently set to continue through January 17, 2027.
Jon Robin Baitz wrote the play, while John Benjamin Hickey directs the new production. Louis-Dreyfus stars as Polly, with Harris playing Lyman and Janney appearing as Silda. Keery takes on the role of Trip, and Rabe plays Brooke.
A Family’s Hidden Past Takes Center Stage
Set on Christmas Eve, the play unfolds inside the sunlit Palm Springs home of a politically connected family. The gathering turns into a confrontation over memory, loyalty and legacy when a daughter arrives with a memoir capable of revealing a volatile truth the family has kept concealed.
As the family’s past comes into sharper focus, the conflict extends beyond the question of what happened. The story also examines who has the right to control a family’s history—and what it may cost to tell that story publicly.
The five-character cast places its high-profile ensemble at the center of that clash. Louis-Dreyfus, Harris, Janney, Keery and Rabe portray the family members caught in the escalating dispute as the memoir threatens to upend their understanding of the past.
The Creative Team
Hickey is joined by a design team that includes scenic designer Scott Pask and costume designer Tom Broecker. Natasha Katz provides the lighting design, while Mikaal Sulaiman is responsible for both sound design and original music. Robert Pickens handles the production’s hair and wig design.
Those creative elements will shape the Palm Springs setting in which the family’s Christmas Eve reckoning plays out, moving the drama between the appearance of a bright holiday gathering and the darker history exposed by the daughter’s return.
What Happens Next?
Following its first Broadway performance on September 29, Other Desert Cities will continue at the Hudson Theatre ahead of its October 18 opening night. The production’s limited engagement is due to conclude on January 17, 2027.