Cult of Love

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Must you love your immediate family unconditionally if you know they drive you crazy? And must you show up for family gatherings like Christmas if it always spirals down into a vicious fighting match? Is love nothing more than propinquity, that is biological closeness? Leslye Headland’s Cult of Love produced by Second Stage at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater, a searing comedy-drama, reminds us that most important American plays other than Our Town are about dysfunctional families that make various levels of accommodation to their problems. The cast led by Zachary Quinto, Mare Winningham and David Rasche are consummately believable as a family who has seen too many Christmases devolve into shouting matches.

The Dahl family gathers every Christmas at the Connecticut home of the patriarchs, William “Bill” Dahl and his wife Virginia known as “Ginny.” However, this year things are worse than usual. It is now undeniable that Bill is suffering from Alzheimer’s as he can’t remember anything and has to be reminded to keep him on task. However, Ginny also refuses to see the truth about her children: Johnny is a recovering heroin addict, Evie is lesbian, now married to Pippa, and has been so since a girl, and Mark, a lapsed priest and lawyer, hasn’t found himself.

Worst yet is why daughter Diana, her husband James, an Episcopal priest and their six-month-old son James have returned home to live. She has been hearing voices in tongues and as a result James has lost his job, his pulpit and his home. But as the other siblings reveal, Diana has been mentally unstable since she was 16 but has recently stopped taking her anti-psychotic drugs due to the birth of her child. Rachel, Mark’s wife, formerly Jewish but converted for his sake, and Evie have decided that this is the last time they will subject themselves to this annual excoriation precipitated by both Ginny and Diana. We suspect at least one marriage will break up before the holiday is over but which is a tossup until the end.

Every year everything revolves around Diana’s needs. Ginny’s excuse for her avoiding the home truths staring her in the face is that she has “made this home a beautiful place; a magical place” and that seems to be enough for her. This year Diana’s proselytizing extends to insulting Evie and Pippa’s relationship, trying to convert Johnny’s friend Loren, another recovering addict, and reminding Mark why she thinks Rachel has had four miscarriages. Then all explodes when Diana has a fit worse than her previous ones. This allows Rachel, outsider even though she has been married to Mark for ten years, to define the Dahls’ problem: “To you love is cookies and singing and pretending like the world is just one big bouncy house of rainbows. And the … power of Jesus makes you immune to cruelty.” However, real adults know that this is not how love works.

Realistically and mesmerizingly directed by Trip Cullman who piloted the Broadway productions of Choir Boy, Lobby Hero and the most recent revivals of Six Degrees of Separation and I Can Get it For You Wholesale, the play begins with a beautifully sung and played Christmas carol from the whole cast and continues with four more. The revelations are spaced out as they tend to be when the familial participants know each other very well. The outcome may be grim but the humor is laid on thick and the drama is equally devastating. Cult of Love may turn out to be one of the best and most astute plays of the season. Just try taking your attention away from the stage for a second.

The cast is only as good as the writing of their roles. Winningham is very fine playing a woman whose whole life is avoiding looking at the truth. Rasche isn’t given much to do but makes it clear Bill is definitely losing his powers. As the older son Mark, Quinto speaks with authority but the play doesn’t let us see where he is going, just what he has been through. As his neglected wife Rachel, Molly Bernard is silent most of the time but makes her few pointed speeches count.

Shailene Woodley gives a towering performance as the mentally ill Diana, making everything revolve around her and finding a religious excuse for all of her hateful speech. Her husband James, played by Christopher Lowell plays second fiddle to her outbursts and cutting remarks. Rebecca Henderson as Evie, the older sister, is mostly angry, while her wife Pippa, Roberta Colindrez is powerful in her silence. As the two recovering addicts, Johnny and Loren, Christopher Sears and Barbie Ferreira, are amusing as they let in a breath of fresh air to this hothouse family setting.

The magnificent design team has created a cozy, homey environment while it continues to snow outside the windows through most of the play. John Lee Beatty’s attractive first floor of the country farm house is festively decorated for Christmas as well as the annual family Christmas party with its inviting fireplace, comfortable chairs and many wreaths and colored lights in blues, reds and greens. Sophia Choi’s costumes define the characters as soon as we see them. The lighting by Heather Gilbert is both subtle and warm. Jacinth Greywoode’s musical supervision and Gigi Buffington’s vocal coaching has paid off with the wonderful singing and musicianship of the entire cast. Liz Printz has given each of the women a different look with her hair and makeup design.

Cult of Love, Leslye Headland’s first Broadway play after her Off Broadway successes The Layover, Assistance and Bachelorette, is one of those plays we didn’t know we needed until we witnessed it. Directed by Trip Cullman, it is as real as a cinema verité slice of life. If you are looking for light entertainment this Christmas season this is not for you, but if you want to see truth-telling in the American family this is one play not to miss. The superb cast brings it heartbreakingly to life.

Cult of Love (through February 2, 2025)

The Second Stage

Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-541-4518 or visit http://www.2ST.com

Running time: one hour and 50 minutes without an intermission