Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – An all-star cast animates CULT OF LOVE, Leslye Headland‘s deliciously caustic family comedy-drama

• By drediman
• December 19, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, I had the opportunity to catch up with Second Stage Theater’s Broadway mounting of Cult of Love by Leslye Headland at the intimate Helen Hayes Theater. Known for writing spiky, provocative comedy dramas (I still recall reeling after my first time seeing the playwright’s ferocious Bachelorette back in 2010, also courtesy of Second Stage), Headland scores big once more with her debut outing on the Great White Way (although the play was first seen regionally in 2018), which tells the story of a Dahl family Christmas gathering gone especially awry. Cult of Love is the final installment of the Seven Deadly Sins cycle, Headland’s ambitious seven-play cycle inspired in large part by her Christian upbringing.

Cult of Love is a deliciously caustic comedy of manners and an intense dysfunctional family drama all rolled into one, and it arrives just in time for the holidays as a sobering pill amongst the season’s good cheer. More specifically, the play depicts the escalating strain — and immense love (most apparent when the Dahl family bursts into song) — between four very different adult siblings (and their spouses/companions) who by all accounts should be well-adjusted having been raised in a loving, albeit very Christian (and musical) household. But when short fuses, mental illness, and unresolved issues come to a head, the play quick comes to a boil. Suffice to say, the characters fail miserably in managing tricky family dynamics. For all its vicious hilarity and pointed commentary, the play is nevertheless a nuanced look at modern family life — particularly with respect to the friction between striking out on one’s own and the responsibility to one’s family.

The play has been given a first-rate staging by director Trip Cullman, whose razor sharp production is nestled comfortably between parody and naturalism (kudos particularly to John Lee Beatty’s detailed scenic design of a cozy but well-appointed home in upstate New York). The occasional musical interludes bring texture to a play that would otherwise feel a tad relentless. Cult of Love is animated by a wonderful all-star ensemble cast led by the likes of Shailene Woodle, Mare Winningham, and Zachary Quinto. But perhaps the most memorable performance belongs to Roberta Colindrez, whose compellingly internal portrayal of an outsider looking in starkly highlights the play’s absurdities.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CULT OF LOVE
Broadway, Play
Second Stage Theater at the Hayes Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 2