Julia Louis-Dreyfus to make Broadway debut in 'Other Desert Cities'

"Seinfeld" and "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will make her Broadway debut in October, among a star-studded cast including Ed Harris and Allison Janney, in the revival of "Other Desert Cities."

Louis-Dreyfus will take on a dramatic role in the Tony-nominated play by Jon Robin Baitz, returning to Broadway after its original 2011-12 run, for which it was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama.

The play depicts a tense family gathering on Christmas Eve in Palm Springs, California, while the family clashes over opposing politics and personal struggles. During the gathering, the couple, played by Louis-Dreyfus and Harris, are shaken when their "daughter returns with a memoir and the power to expose the explosive truth they’ve kept hidden," according to the production's website.

The revival also features actor-musician Joe Keery ("Stranger Things"), also in his Broadway debut, and theater and television actor Lily Rabe. Janney, who previously starred in "The West Wing" and on Broadway shows including "9 to 5” and "Six Degrees of Separation," will play Louis-Dreyfus’ sister. The show is directed by stage and screen veteran John Benjamin Hickey.

“I have loved Robbie’s plays since he began writing them," Hickey said in a statement. "I acted in two of them early in my career, and when I recently revisited 'Other Desert Cities,' I was stunned at how relevant the play remains, maybe now more than ever. It’s an incredibly funny, surprising, and heartbreaking play about an American family. OUR American family. To be able to bring it back to Broadway, with this powerhouse ensemble of actors, and incredible creative team, is a dream come true.” 

A ticket presale will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. and conclude at 9:59 a.m. on June 3. Previews at Manhattan's Hudson Theatre begin Sept. 29. "Other Desert Cities" will open Oct. 18.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.