The Tony-nominated drama, “Other Desert Cities,” will open at the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and run through the Sunday, Mar. 2 matinee at 2 p.m.
“Other Desert Cities” is the story of a writer who, after six years away, rejoins her family for Christmas in Palm Springs. When she announces that she is about to publish a memoir with details about a difficult past incident that the family wants to keep buried, much family drama ensues.
Peter Flynn, who won Carbonell Awards for Best Director and Best Musical for his direction in the Maltz’s production of “Man of LaMancha” will direct the production of this highly acclaimed Jon Robin Baitz play.
“We are so excited to welcome Peter Flynn back to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre,” said Andrew Kato, the Theatre’s producing artistic director. “Our audiences are still talking about ‘Man of LaMancha.’ He has an innate talent for bringing out the truth of a story and keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.”
“At its core, this is a story about a troubled family struggling to reconcile their past,” said Flynn. “There is anger and regret, but there is also a great love for one another – which is what makes the stakes so high. The heart of the play lives in something the son says: ‘On your last day on this planet…all what will have mattered is how you loved.’”
The play, by Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz, premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center Theater in Jan. 2011 where it was named the Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play by the Outer Critics Circle. It closed at the end of February having completed a limited engagement run. It moved to Broadway at the Booth Theater in Nov. 2011, marking the playwright’s debut on Broadway. The New York Times called it the “best new play on Broadway 2011.”
Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello, Baitz’s former romantic partner, directed both productions and the Broadway show received five Tony Award nominations for 2012 including Best Play. Actress Judith Light won for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The play was also a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The Maltz production stars celebrated South Florida actors Cliff Burgess, a recent Carbonell Award nominee, as the brother Trip; Carbonell winner Angie Radosh as the mother’s alcoholic sister Silda, and Andrea Conte as the daughter Brooke.
Susan Cella, whose Broadway credits include “The Graduate,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” “Me and My Girl” and “Evita” will portray the role of the matriarch Polly, and Richard Kline, known for his role as Larry Dallas on the sitcom “Three's Company,” in addition to regional and Broadway credits that include the Wizard in the first national tour of “Wicked,” will portray the father Lyman.
Tickets for “Other Desert Cities”start at $52 and may be purchased by calling (561) 575-2223 or visiting www.jupitertheatre.org/shows/otherdesertcities. Please note that performances contain strong language and may not be suitable for children.
