Theater: Family Feud

Kids say the darnedest things. Even as adults. And when successful novelist Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs after a long absence and tells her folks she has written a memoir that mentions a tragic event that could ruin the reputation of the prestigious Republican family, well, lets just say it makes for a less than festive Christmas Eve.

With the celebrated actress Marya Sea Kaminski playing Brooke in ACT Theatres staging of Jon Robin Baitzs Tony Award-nominated Other Desert Cities, audiences are likely to see a tour de force performance that resonates on multiple levels: parent/child bonds, conservative/liberal politics, public/private perceptions.

Other Desert Cities is an actors play, says ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie. The dialogue is rich with text that you could only wish you had the guts to say to a family member.

Joining Kaminski in the cast are TV and film veterans Pamela Reed and Kevin Tighe as Brooke Wyeths parents, and Lori Larsen and Aaron Blakely as her siblings. Baitz has crafted a smart, relevant, witty script, which multiple generations can connect to, Beattie notes. We get to see what happens behind closed doors for a family that is very concerned with public appearances.

Through June 30. Times and prices vary. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle; 206.292.7676; acttheatre.org.