Caltech Playreaders 65th Season: "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz

Directed by John Davidson   

Lyman and Polly Wyeth are a wealthy retired couple, old-school celebrities, and dyed-in-the-wool Reagan Republicans. Their daughter Brooke, a successful writer and flaming liberal, has returned home for Christmas with a draft of her new book, a memoir containing hurtful disclosures about her brother Henry. The parents are livid. This will be a feast for the tabloids. And it could revive scrutiny of Henry's involvement in the anti-war movement of the sixties. The gathering is joined by two other family members: Brooke's younger brother Trip, the successful producer of a daytime reality TV show; and rumpled old Aunt Silda, a recovering alcoholic and sharp-tongued liberal. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that there is more to Henry's situation than is—or could ever be—revealed in Brooke's memoir.

Admission is $3.00 for members of the Caltech Women's Club; $4.00 for all others. Light refreshments will be served after the reading.

To dine at the Athenaeum beforehand, call (626) 395-8204 for reservations. Plan to be seated by 6:00. You are welcome to join the Playreaders table.