So I’m currently kickin it in the Big Apple with MC Herzog. It’s pretty f-ing fun. (Disclaimer: She is also planning on writing about this show, so anticipate another post on this show.)
ONTO BUSINESS: She and I just saw Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz. Overall it was a solid play…
First, some underdeveloped opinions:
- Judith Light and Thomas Sadoski both gave outstanding performances. They were simply fantastic.
- I mostly disagreed with Rachel Griffiths. Molls and I both thought that she was just too old for the role. I was distracted by her playing younger.
- For a play that has NOTHING to do with incest, there was too much intimate touching between siblings and father/daughter. Weird.
Now for the nitty gritty. This play takes place in the mod living room of a Palm Springs home. The set and lighting were perfect. It was quintessentially Orange County with palm trees and a pool in the back yard and BRIGHT Californian sunshine. As soon as the lights came up it was perfectly clear where we were. And I have to say I loved it. It wasn’t until I saw this a few hours ago that I realized how seldom I see a show that is set on the west coast. It had a very particular attitude, a very Californian attitude that I found refreshing. It had a unique pace and such ease. Also, the characters were endlessly intriguing. They were all protagonists. No one was wrong, everyone was justified. That is what made the conflict so wrenching. I didn’t know who to side with because they were all fully formed people and their wants and needs were so clear.
Overall, very solid show, the script itself was very strong, and the perspective was refreshing. Not perfect, but nothing is, really.
Molly and I are hitting up Stick Fly on Friday, so gear up for those posts.
PS to my peeps in Production Management: they had a functional fireplace! It made me realize how much goddamn money they have in their budget. It’s no big thang to have a GIANT open flame onstage. No biggy to fireproof friggin everything, and no biggy to hire two fire marshals every night for like a gajillion dollars.
