The plot of Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities can be summed up in a single line from the play itself: “Telling the truth is a very expensive hobby.”
Ironically, that line is delivered by Silda, the character furthest from the truth and with the least to lose. The entire show is a nesting doll of truths sealed with spite, fear and, ultimately, love. Napa’s Lucky Penny Community Arts Center hosts a Dana Nelson-Isaacs-directed production through May 4.
Brooke Wyeth (Taylor Bartolucci) is a novelist who has overcome a mental breakdown by writing a memoir. She has told her parents, Polly (Cynthia Lagodzinski), a protégé of Nancy Reagan, and Lyman (Barry Martin), a retired actor and former ambassador under Ronald Reagan, that it’s a novel. Now, with a book deal in hand, she has come to her parents’ Palm Springs home for Christmas. Joining them is Brooke’s younger brother, Trip (Max Geide), a television producer, and Polly’s freshly rehabbed alcoholic sister, Silda Grauman (Titian Lish).
In the spirit of full disclosure, this script was one of the first shows I ever produced and holds a special place in my heart, so I was delighted to see that the set by Barry Martin, Gary Green and Kade Morrill was so detailed and beautiful. The small stage becomes a mid-century masterpiece, overlooking the desert.
A script like this takes a steady hand. It’s a challenging task to strike a balance between the depth required and the glib comedy that keeps the play moving. Geide’s Trip comes the closest. Written as the middle-ground character, he does a good job of keeping the energy up and the show moving. His funny lines land well, and his journey is the most believable.
The rest of the cast, however, does not maintain the pace or tension. The heartbeat of the family drama is the tension of things left unsaid, of memories unknown to the audience. Without that draw to pull the audience in, a great deal of the play is adrift, leaving the viewer waiting for something to happen.
Other Desert Cities is a family dramedy on a knife’s edge. One way too much or the other, and the show doesn’t work. Silda is correct; the truth is expensive, as it often requires taking a risk. Sure, a knife’s edge can be uncomfortable, but sitting on the handle looking at the blade will never cut anything.
‘Other Desert Cities’ runs through May 4 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center, 1758 Industrial Way, Napa. Thurs–Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 pm. $24-$47. 707.266.6305. luckypennynapa.com.
