by Charles Kruger

Playwright Leslye Headland is perhaps best known for the film, “Bachlorette” and the Netflix series, “Russian Doll.” In addition to these impressive Hollywood credits, she is also the author of the play, “Assistance.” “Assistance” was inspired by her experiences as personal assistant to Harvey Weinstein at Miramax. She described that play as a commentary on the sin of greed.

In fact, she has, between 2007 and 2018 written seven plays, each commenting upon one of the seven deadly sins. One presumes that, given her astonishing ascent in Hollywood, as well as her intimate familiarity with the disreputable Mr. Weinstein, that sin is something she has thought about. In various biographies, we also learn that her childhood was spent in a devoutly Christian ramily where sin was a matter to be taken seriously. It is that upbringing, she says, that inspired the family comedy/drama, “Cult of Love,” which is the last of her Seven Deadly Sins series, intended as a meditation upon the sin of Pride.

Above all else, it is an astonishingly good play.

The large and genuinely loving Dahl family (mother, father, four children, three spouses, one companion, and one infant) are not exactly at the point of existential crisis, but they are headed in that direction. They are gathered together for their yearly family reunion on Christmas Eve and sparks are flying.

Evie and her wife Pippa feel more than a bit ambivalent about the familiy’s  condemnation of their “lifestyle” in spite of constant seemingly sincere protestations of love. Daughter Diana and her priest husband James have moved into the house so Grandma can help care for their newborn. James is soft spoken, but clearly uncomfortable with his lesbian inlaws. And so it goes: Patriarch Bill is showing signs of senility, about which his wife is in denial. Rachel, married to Mark Dahl, converted from Judaism to join this very Christian family, but remains ambivalent. Mark is a bit of an embarrassment having turned away from a religious career after studying theology at Princeton in order to study law and eventually clerk for a Supreme Court Justice, only to fail to deliver on his promise and settling for a less than impressive government job. Each of these complex individuals belives in family, believes in their love for one another, and believes they are absolutely right about absolutely everything.

For all that, the family is, indeed loving, and, although much of the Christmas joy is forced, it is genuine. They sing songs together, joke, celebrate family traditions, argue, laugh, and are genuinely hilarious. Very little happens, but we are led to feel that we know this family intimately, and we can sense the deep love. Headland’s  study of a family Christmas Eve seems to unfold in real time, with revelations coming gradually. We learn that dinner is being delayed because the last sibling, Johnny, is late as usual. He has been clean and sober for ten years, but family members still wonder if he might be drunk somewhere.We see the evidence of father’s apparent dementia and mother’s denial. We feel how alienation of the spouses. And bit by bit we realize that there is something diturbing at the center of this family. Something that remains unspoken.

It is late in the evening, and only after Johnny’s arrival, that the truth telling brings things to a crisis and opens up the possiblity of the family growing beyond their desperate pride into the mutual love they believe in and long for so desperately. I don’t want to spoil this review with the details, but the payoff is grand. Headland is not afraid to confront complex themes of religion and love and existential challenges and politics in ways that surprise, move, and enlighten.

This complex play is brought off to perfection by an amazing company of actors who have been directed like a fine symphony orchestra by Trip Cullman. They all get to deliver monologs that achieve the depth of great arias, although always embedded in dialogue which is constantly overlapping and true to life. The ensemble work of this company is amazing. The pacing never falters, the naturalness of the interactions is never in doubt.

In addition to all that, this musical family is constantly bringing out instruments and singing and stomping up a storm.

Audiences will feel they are present at a genuine family reunion with all the joy and angst that implies.

From the set to the lighting to the costumes to the sound design to each performance by each actor, there is nothing here that is not award-worthy.

“Cult of Love” is amazing. You should go.

“Cult of Love” continues at BerkeleyRep through March 3rd. For further information click here.

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Rating: ***** (For an explanation of Theatrestorm’s rating scale, click here.)
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“The Cult of Love” by Leslye Headland. Produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in association with Red Yes Studio, Rachel Sussman, and Seaview. Director: Trip Cullman. Scenic Design: Arnulfo Maldonado. Custume Design: Sophia Choi. Lighting Design: Heather Gilbert. Sound Design: Darron L. West. Music Director and Arrangements: Jacinthe Greywoode.

Cast:

William “Bill Dahl: Dan Hiatt. Virginia “Ginny” Dahl: Luisa Sermol. Mark Dahl: Lucas Near-Verbrugghe. Rachel Dahl: Molly Bernard. Evie Dahl: Virginia Kull. Pippa Ferguson: Cass Buggé. Diana Dahl Bennett: Kerstin Anderson. James Bennett: Christopher Lowell. Johnny Dahl: Chritopher Sears. Loren Montgomery: Vero Maynez.