"Other Desert Cities"
At SpeakEasy Stage
January 11 - February 9

From January 11 - February 9, SpeakEasy Stage will present the New England Premiere of Jon Robin Baitz's award-winning drama "Other Desert Cities" -- the story of a family where secrets are currency and everyone is rich. The production will play the Virginia Wimberly Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. "Other Desert Cities" was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The production will be directed by Scott Edmiston, who includes among his many honors three Elliot Norton Awards, two IRNE Awards, the 2005 StageSource Award, and the 2011 Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence in Boston Theatre. The company features Nancy E. Carroll, Anne Gottlieb, Munson Hicks, Karen MacDonald and Christopher M. Smith.

"Other Desert Cities" tells the tale of Brooke Wyeth, a once promising young novelist, who returns home after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas in Palm Springs with her brother, aunt, and parents, the latter of whom are former members of Reagan’s inner circle. The festivities are short-lived when Brooke announces that she is about to publish a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family's history -- a wound that her parents do not want reopened.

Originally titled "Love and Mercy," "Other Desert Cities" had its world premiere at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center on December 16, 2010, and officially opened its limited engagement on January 13, 2011. The production was directed by Joe Mantello and featured Elizabeth Marvel, Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, Linda Lavin and Thomas Sadoski. The play completed its run as scheduled and was later named Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play by the Outer Critics Circle.

In October of 2011, the play re-opened on Broadway at the Booth Theater, with Rachel Griffiths taking over the role of Brooke Wyeth and Judith Light assuming the role originally played by Lavin. This production received five 2012 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play; Best Actress in a Play (Stockard Channing); Best Featured Actress in a Play (Judith Light); Best Scenic Design (John Lee Beatty); and Best Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner). Judith Light won for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

For tickets and information, call 617-933-8600 or visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com.