All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way…
When Tolstoy wrote that line in Anna Karenina, he hadn’t met the Dahls yet – that unforgettable family in Leslye Headland’s Cult of Love, exploding nightly at the Helen Hayes on Broadway. If only he could have observed them at their latest Christmas eve reunion in the family’s Connecticut farmhouse, he’d have put them in a category all their own.
Rebecca Henderson and Roberta Colindrez
The American theatre has honored its unhappy families for almost a century, from O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (1949) to Tracy Lett’s August Osage County (2007) to Brendan Jacobs-Jenkins Appropriate (2013) to Katori Hall’s The Blood Quilt this season. But Headland’s Dahls gives us a jolting new insight into what the essence of that unhappiness really is – if you can even call it that, since you’ll also find yourself laughing during the 100 minutes you’re with them.
Zachary Quinto and Shailene Woodley
Though the four children of Bill & Virginia Dahl range in age from 20s to 40s, they return at Christmastime for the annual celebration (read: massacre) out of enforced family tradition. Each offspring is living perilously on the edge, along with their respective partners. There’s Mark (Zachary Quinto) the oldest son, former priest and lawyer, who has lost his faith in both occupations. He’s accompanied by his miserable wife Rachel (Molly Bernard), who is ready to leave from the moment the festivities start.
Mare Winningham
Second is Evie (Rebecca Henderson) newly married to Pippa (Roberta Colindrez), desperately uncomfortable to be there since their gay marriage has been openly censored by Virginia, Evie’s judgmental mother (Mare Cunningham). Third in the lineage is Johnny (Christopher Sears), a heroin addict in recovery, who has brought along his friend Loren, also a former addict (Barbie Ferreira). The youngest is the unstable Diana (Shailene Woodley), pregnant with her second child, married to James (Chris Lowell), an Episcopal priest who has just lost his congregation.
Zachary Quinto, Mare Winningham, Shailene Woodley, David Rasche
During their eighteen-hour reunion, there are enough fireworks to ignite every Christmas tree for miles. In the first of four tightly constructed scenes, we meet the family members gathered in the festively decorated living room (set by John Lee Beatty; holiday lighting by Heather Gilbert), performing their traditional ritual of singing Christmas songs in perfect harmony (“When Jesus Was an Old Man,” is their captivating opening “number”).
Mare Winningham, Shailene Woodley
So joyous and united are they in song, that you hardly see the carnage to come. Dinner is being prepared by the patriarch Bill (David Rasche), who alternately plays the piano and retreats to the kitchen to check on the lamb roast (he pronounces “lamb” with a “B”). But there are eruptions bubbling to the surface, warning of the earthquakes to come. “Christmas is exactly the time to talk about the things we shouldn’t talk about”, says Evie, voicing resentment to her younger sister Diana who insists that Evie isn’t really gay, but rather “spiritually sick.”
Christopher Sears, Barbie Ferreira, Roberta Colindrez, Mare Winningham,
Zachary Quinto, David Rasche, Shailene Woodley, Rebecca Henderson
As they await the arrival of Johnny and his friend, the conflicts between the siblings mount, despite the parents’ feeble, fruitless efforts to intervene. “We’re in the middle of a meltdown,” announces Bill cheerfully, as Ginny casually mentions that Bill has Alzheimer’s. Then Johnny bursts in – literally – causing a sudden seismic shift again, and they’re all singing together at the top of their lungs, “Children, Go Where I Send Thee!”, playing any musical instrument they can get their hands on (music supervision by Jacinth Greywoode).
Christopher Sears, Barbie Ferreira
Back and forth, up and down the family dynamic swings, between exuberant song and violent meltdown. Scene three culminates with the spectacular breakdown of Diana, who has been suffering from psychotic episodes since her teenage years. Her husband James follows suit, revealing to the traumatized family that Diana’s delusion (she thinks she’s a prophet) is the reason for the loss of his congregation. Several family members (Rachel, Evie, and Pippa) leave, unable to bear the pain any longer.
Rebecca Henderson
But the next scene, Christmas morning, brings most of them back together again. This is when the themes of the play – faith and love – are deeply and eloquently articulated.
Shailene Woodley, Christopher Sears, Rebecca Henderson, Zachary Quinto
Each and every member of this gifted cast gives a memorable performance. Zach Quinto offers a poignant portrayal as the tortured oldest son of a religious family, who has tried to do his best but has lost his way. Mare Cunningham gives a cunning portrayal of a controlling matriarch behind a benign mask. Charming, disarming David Rasche is deeply moving as the befuddled patriarch who – despite his Alzheimer’s fog – delivers some of the most eloquent speeches on the power of love. As the psychotic Diana, Shailene Woodley is the family’s heartbreaking Cassandra. In the role of her husband James, Christopher Lowell is equally heartbreaking in his devotion to her. As Johnny, Christopher Sears gives the most charismatic performance in any show so far this season.
Zachary Quinto, Molly Bernard, Chris Lowell
Under Trip Cullman’s swift, expert direction, they shine above all as an ensemble. And that is the miracle of this production. Thanks to their powerful communal performance, they are a family and remain a family at the end – an indestructible unit in their joy, their suffering, their past, and their abiding love. And what personifies that family unity is music. I lost count of how many musical instruments there are on stage – piano, banjo, guitars, ukulele, harmonicas, handbells, the list is endless. Each character plays one beautifully. Each character sings beautifully. I’d go back one more time just to see the ensemble sing “Children Go Where I Send Thee,” fueled by Johnny’s exuberant leadership. As Diane says about the family pastime that unites them: “Sometimes I think singing might be the most important thing a person can do … It’s just such a beautiful way to reach across the abyss between heaven and the earth.”
Chris Lowell, Barbie Ferreira, Roberta Colindrez, Rebecca Henderson,
Christopher Sears, Shailene Woodley, Mare Winningham, David Rasche
And then there’s “Shenandoah”, the final song sung by the four siblings alone in perfect, soaring harmony as they remember their shared journeys to that magical part of the country when they were young. It’s as close to a religious moment as it gets in this play about faith and family. That’s why Cult of Love is such an epiphany in our canon of American family plays. It’s a play about family love, a shared past, and an indestructible, shared ritual – personified by song, giving the family a joy and a harmony that will always endure.
David Rasche
photos by Joan Marcus
Cult of Love
Second Stage Theater
Helen Hayes Theater, 240 West 44th St
ends on February 2, 2025
for tickets, visit 2st
