Theater Review: Danville Village Theatre Presents Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities

From l. to r.: Silda (Sally Hogarty), Trip (Micah Watterson), Brooke (Emily Keyishian), Lyman (Christian Phillips), and Polly (Christine Macomber). Photo by Marian Bliss, 2018.

Writer Brooke Wyeth (Emily Keyishian) has come home after a long hiatus to reveal her new novel to her family. Settled in Palm Springs, with conservative values, the Wyeths harbor a plethora of family secrets. It’s all water under the bridge as they go through the motions of their daily lives, secluded in an affluent neighborhood where they appear indestructible. Brooke’s novel threatens to shatter this peaceful image. And so the drama unfolds, as each member fights to keep their secrets under wraps. Continue reading “Theater Review: Danville Village Theatre Presents Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities

Theater Review: Danville Village Theatre Knocks Out Arthur Miller’s All My Sons

Christian Phillips (Joe), Nick Mandracchia (Frank), and Susan Trishel Monson (Sue) harbor family secrets old and new. Photo courtesy of John Carter, 2018.

It’s the play that put Arthur Miller on the map; though not one of his more famous plays, such as The Crucible or Death of a Salesman, it’s in a similar vein nevertheless. Miller explores the human condition — a very male-centric one, but along with it, he questions the patriarchy and the capitalist structures that cloak the American dream. All My Sons knocks you out, delivering punch after punch of pure family drama. Continue reading “Theater Review: Danville Village Theatre Knocks Out Arthur Miller’s All My Sons