Theater review: “Other Desert Cities” at the JCC

Family dramas have done incredibly well onstage in the last decade — “August: Osage County” and “Next to Normal” are great examples — winning
Pulitzer Prizes and Drama Desk Awards and giving audiences a chance to escape
from their own private lives into the fictional problems of another familial
unit. And really, who doesn’t enjoy that?

These types
of shows are often powered by small casts and take place primarily in a set that depicts the family’s living room or kitchen. It’s
the kind of show every producer wants in a season — often it’s a new work — and
can provide a platform for strong actors who excel in emotional dialogue.

JCC CenterStage, under the artistic direction of Ralph Meranto, actively seeks out these sorts of productions. “Other
Desert Cities,” the latest offering from the CenterStage,
is one such show.

“Other
Desert Cities” is the eighth work by Jewish playwright Jon Robin Baitz, opening off-Broadway in 2011 and transferring to
Broadway within the year. It was also a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize
for Drama and nominated for the 2012 Tony Award for Best New Play, though it
didn’t win either.

The story
follows the Wyeth family on Christmas Eve 2004 in Palm Springs, California.
Daughter Brooke Wyeth, a writer who now lives in Long Island and hasn’t visited
in six years, has returned to spend the holidays with her pro-GOP, old-Hollywood
money parents, Lyman and Polly, as well as her younger brother, Trip, a reality
TV producer, and her alcoholic aunt Silda Grauman, a
former TV writer. As is expected from this genre, there is a family secret
revealed throughout the course of the play, prompted by Brooke’s plans to
publish a memoir surrounding the suicide of her older brother, Henry, which
happened in the 1970’s.

The
audience’s first impression of the play is the set, a chic living room that’s
modeled around mid-century architecture with touches of California’s airy
style. Since the entire play takes place in this room, designer Shelly Stam has painstakingly created a set that feels luxurious
and believable — from the glowing fireplace to the crystal decanter of vodka.
(It should be noted that this is Stam’s first set
design, and it’s an absolute triumph.) Stam also
creates a natural aesthetic with her costume design, which feels tailored to
each character’s tastes, from Polly’s sweaters and flashy jewelry to Silda’s
silky kimono. Lighting designer Tom Habecker plays
off the warmth of the set to add desert tones befitting a Palm Springs morning
and sunset.

Director
David Runzo, a familiar fixture in the local theater
scene, directs five actors in this piece to varying degrees of success.
Returning to the JCC stage again this year is Davida
Bloom (Silda), who also appeared in “Coney Island Christmas.” Bloom is always a
delight to watch onstage, as she gives herself fully to each role and provides
reactionary dialogue for each of her co-stars. (As the alcoholic, raving Silda,
she’s almost too convincing.)

Appearing at the JCC since 1982, Fred Nuernberg (Lyman Wyeth)
returns as well. Though his movements and delivery felt a bit
wooden at times, he’s every bit the aging Hollywood star with his regal posture
and measured diction. Danny Kincaid Kunz plays Trip, the youngest Wyeth child,
a would-be peacemaker with a few secrets of his own. Kunz, who’s also a local improv actor, is a bit frantic and underwhelming in both
his delivery and movements, but he carries off several passionate lines nicely
(in particular, his last monologue).

Marlo DiCrasto (Brooke Wyeth) and
Patricia Lewis Browne (Polly Wyeth) portray the roles that provide not only
much of the plot’s emotional foundation, but also its rising action. In the
role of the matriarch, Browne is a natural fit. Her facade of control and her relationship
to each character is laid out from the top of the show, and Lewis immerses
herself in the character’s journey. For DiCrasto,
this was not the case.

Though the
show might be considered an ensemble piece, DiCrasto’s
character provides the catalyst in the plot — it’s important that the actor
playing this role is the strongest performer onstage. Unfortunately, there were
many moments in the show when DiCrasto delivered a
simply average performance, at best. At times it felt as though she was
reciting lines, rather than connecting them back to the recipient or her own
emotions. Perhaps the most excruciating moment was when DiCrasto’s
character realizes the family secret and reacts. Her physical choice in that
moment — which may have been a stage direction — completely detracts from the
gravity of the denouement.

In “Other
Desert Cities,” Baitz has provided a moving,
brilliant script for actors to build upon — but if there isn’t an emotional
connection (or, in DiCrasto’s case, basic reactions
during important dialogue), the power of the show will not translate. Actors
must be the conduit between script and audience.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been corrected. Fred Nuernberg has been appearing onstage at the JCC since 1982.

This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2016.