IVINS — The Center for the Arts at Kayenta is excited to present the Broadway show “Other Desert Cities” in the Lorraine Boccardo Theatre.
No subject is sacred in the Wyeth family. Politics, personal shortcomings, successes and failures — any and all topics are up for discussion. Except one. As this modern family deals with its collective demons, the audience is taken on a thrill ride that will have them by turns laughing, in tears and challenging assumptions.
Acclaimed playwright Jon Robin Baitz’ “Other Desert Cities” premiered Off-Broadway in early 2011 and transferred to Broadway later that year. It was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Edgy, grownup entertainment in Kayenta
“’Other Desert Cities’ is a clever, biting and comic genius of a script,” director Douglas Caputo said. “We rarely see this kind of show in our area – an adult, contemporary comedy/drama. For those who desire a little more edge in their entertainment, this will be the show to see.”
Caputo is proud of the talented cast he’s assembled.
“We have a strong cast that includes local talent Nick Adams, Ginger Nelson, Jared Shipley, Pat Evans and California-based actor Robin Hampton,” Caputo said.
The plot
Brooke Wyeth returns home after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents, brother and aunt. Brooke announces she’s about to publish a memoir that dredges up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history – a wound they don’t want reopened. Nonetheless, she draws a line in the sand and dares them all to cross it.
The play explores the limits of parental love and filial duty, our myth-making culture and the claim we have on our own biography when it involves the invasion of privacy of others.
Critics’ comments
New York Daily News:
Astutely drawn … juicy and surprising.
The New York Times:
The most richly enjoyable new play for grown-ups that New York has known in many seasons … In his most fully realized play to date, Mr. Baitz makes sure our sympathies keep shifting among the members of the wounded family portrayed here. Every one of them emerges as selfish, loving, cruel, compassionate, irritating, charming and just possibly heroic … leaves you feeling both moved and gratifyingly sated.
New York Post:
Spending time with these messed-up, complicated people is a genuine pleasure.
New York Magazine:
Power, passion, and superbly crafted palaver stippled with blowdarts of wit – this is what Baitz does best.
The center’s production of “Other Desert Cities” will be held Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning this Thursday and running through June 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online or by calling 435-674-2787. Tickets for students with identification are available for $10.
• S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T •
Event details
- What: Center for the Arts at Kayenta presents “Other Desert Cities.”
- When: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, May 24-June 9, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Center for the Arts at Kayenta, 881 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins.
- Cost: $30; $10 student tickets are available.
- Purchase tickets: Online or by calling 435-674-2787.
- Center for the Arts at Kayenta: Website.
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