“Other Desert Cities” begins Broadway previews tonight: Julia Louis-Dreyfus debuts alongside Ed Harris and Allison Janney

The night of September 29 marks the start of Other Desert Cities performances on Broadway: as Broadway.com reports, the starry revival of Jon Robin Baitz’s drama opens previews tonight at the Hudson Theatre, ahead of the official opening night on October 18. The production will play a limited 16-week engagement, through January 17, 2027.

The show marks the Broadway debut of Seinfeld and Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, winner of 11 Emmy awards, who plays Polly alongside four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris as Lyman, Oscar winner Allison Janney as Silda, Stranger Things star Joe Keery as Trip, and Lily Rabe as Brooke. Direction is by Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey.

The drama is set on Christmas Eve in the sunlit Palm Springs home of a politically connected family, which turns into an arena of memory, loyalty and legacy when the daughter returns home with a memoir threatening to expose the explosive truth they have hidden for so long.

Other Desert Cities premiered Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2011, with Stockard Channing and Linda Lavin, and transferred to Broadway’s Booth Theatre that same year. As BroadwayWorld writes, the original production earned five nominations at the 66th Tony Awards — including best play and best actress (Stockard Channing) — with Judith Light winning best featured actress, while the work was a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist.

This is the first Broadway revival of Baitz’s play since the original production — and with a cast of this caliber, it is expected to be among the most-watched highlights of New York’s fall theater season.