Theatre review: Other Desert Cities, The Old Vic

Mystified by US politics? A new play explains the ideological divide

by Matthew Wolfson / March 13, 2014 / Leave a comment

“The plot centres on a fictional American family that symbolise the nation’s ideological chasm”

I lived in England during the run-up to the 2012 US presidential election and, as an American, was regularly subject to questions like, “You know, Mitt Romney would get two percent of the vote here, how does half of your country like him?” I never found a way to explain our politics, in part because they’re so difficult to even describe. I know a number of Midwestern Republicans and California Democrats and it’s hard to account for a difference in worldview that broad, much the reasons for it, in a single conversation. But anyone interested in understanding why Americans diverge politically could do much worse than seeing Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz, which opens at the Old Vic on Thursday. The plot centres on a fictional American family that could serve as a symbol for the nation’s ideological chasm.

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Comments

Carrie
March 16, 2014 at 11:52
This play went on far too long; banging on about the same issues with little subtext for intrigue. The static setting of the parents sitting room throughout the play grew jaded. The Old Vic is known for its sensual sets and this play is a big risk for them. I go to theatre about 5 times a week and this has been an overhyped, overwritten play. The actors proved their ability by wading through the obvious gags and limited plot.
rodney turner
March 18, 2014 at 12:17
Totally agree with Carrie. saw it on the 15th and without doubt it was one of the worse plays I've ever endured. The actors really worked hard but as I've commented elsewhere this was an American export we would not have missed.
Fran
March 22, 2014 at 20:21
As a European living in the US, one of the things I find interesting is that broadly speaking, Americans lack a scientific approach to facts. Because America is so young (in historical terms), its understanding of history is very muddled and discombobulated. They are good at rewriting history, especially foreign history. Their 'knowledge' about ideologies, especially about Communism and Fascism is often based on a mob-style 'democratic truth' rather than any real understanding of the facts. If enough people say that Hitler was a Socialist (Marxist), that makes it a fact. The democratic principle enables even the most stupid person to have a platform to espouse his or her ideas and ideologies just become a case of who can convince more people that they are right.

Matthew Wolfson is a writer living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, The New Republic, The San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere