Cult Of Love
Tickets from $121 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
On its most superficial level, Leslye Headland’s affecting and often hilarious new play “Cult of Love,” now being presented by 2nd Stage at the Helen Hayes Theater under the skilled direction of Trip Cullman, will provide reassurance to many of its audience members that their family may be dysfunctional, but not as screwed up as the people on stage.
Especially as the holidays approach, some of us really need to hear and see this message before we travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reconnect with people that we may no longer feel close to – or with whom we find ourselves no longer on common ground (which I suspect will happen at a lot of dinners this year!) Yes, Virginia, theater can act as a public service announcement!
Still, creating a “great” dysfunctional family drama has become a tall order in the 21st century, with “August: Osage County” and, especially, “Appropriate” (seen last season at the Hayes) in clear view in our rear-view mirrors, while the ghosts of Ibsen, O’Neill, Miller and Williams hover in the firmament. It’s almost inevitable that while watching “Cult of Love,” you will anticipate hearing one of the characters shout: “I’m in charge now.” But Headland’s 100-minute one-acter simply doesn’t aspire to reach that same level of toxicity.
Indeed, its six main characters – beautifully and believably played by Mare Winningham as the passive-aggressive mother Virginia; David Rasche as the now kind-hearted father Bill, dealing with dementia; Zachary Quinto as the unhappy, uncentered almost-priest turned lawyer Mark; Rebecca Henderson as the perpetually angry lesbian daughter Evie; Christopher Sears as the too-blissful recovering addict Johnny; and Shailene Woodley as the “happy” mom (and mom-to-be) Diana – give us an ineffable sense of connection to each other, no matter how much it’s tested.
Furthermore, as the Dahls gather together for their annual Christmas eve dinner in their attractive Connecticut home (beautifully designed by John Lee Beatty) – yep, it’s a Dahl’s house -- it becomes increasingly clear that this clan (if not their spouses or significant others) are bound, now and forever, by their own traditions and their collective and individual wish to recreate the happier days of a more innocent childhood before the many complexities of the adult world came into focus. Indeed, just watch how they quickly, eagerly pick up the scattered musical instruments and heartily join together in song (most notably a spirited rendition of “Children, Go Where I Send Thee”) as if decades had never passed. I almost dare you not to sing along.
But the Dahl children also come to realize neither music nor time heal all wounds. Questions never asked -- like why the four children were largely denied the opportunity to sleep over at their friends -- are now openly voiced. Also spoken aloud are complaints about homophobia (perceived and real); hurt over the lack of support for childhood dreams; charges of favoritism (brought up by many, notably the superbly acidic Molly Bernard as Mark’s longtime partner, Rachel, and the excellent Roberta Colindrez as Evie’s loving wife, Pippa); and the concern that serious issues of mental health are being avoided rather than addressed. Cell phones are on hand, but the outside world (except for the weather) appears to be of little concern.
While the Dahls are easy to judge, Headland seems to ask us – and by extension, the Dahls -- to be more accepting (if not entirely forgiving) of those ruled by religious faith, a misguided sense of obligation, or confusion about one’s own place in the larger society or within a family. That’s something to chew on other than your mom’s turkey!
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://2st.com/
Cast
Molly Bernard, Roberta Colindrez, Barbie Ferreira, Rebecca Henderson, Christopher Lowell, Zachary Quinto, David Rasche, Christopher Sears, Mare Winningham and Shailene Woodley
Open/Close Dates
Opening 12/12/2024
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
Hayes Theatre
240 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
Comments
Sign up for our newsletter !