It’s the weekend before Christmas and the airports are crowded with folks heading home for the holidays. But Not everyone is looking forward to getting together with the family. Despite the Christmas rituals and music, the grown up Dahl children in “Cult of Love” seem to be dreading Christmas. In fact, when Jonny, the youngest (Christopher Sears) finally arrives, he brings Loren, a young addict (Barbie Ferreira) to be his buffer.

Although “Cult of Love” isn’t a musical, the music is one of the best parts of the show. Music is an integral part of their family and there are instruments carefully placed in various parts of the gorgeous family room /dining room. (The family that sings and plays together…) The beautiful setting, designed by John Lee Beatty,is an idyllic farmhouse in Connecticut bursting with holiday decorations.

The fun part of this incredibly dysfunctional family is the beautiful music they spontaneously make together. That’s also mostly the only time they are harmonious. I wonder if playwright Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, “Star Wars: The Acolyte,”) intended to be ironic in naming her characters Dahl and as we witness the goings-on at the Dahl house.
Ginny Dahl is the mother of four adult children. Played by excellent Mare Winningham, Ginny refuses to acknowledge things that are unpleasant or aren’t what she wants. Her way of dealing with issues is to ignore them. Her oldest son Mark, (Zachary Quinto) left the priesthood, became a lawyer and married a Jewish woman Rachel (Molly Bernard.) and her son Johnny is an addict. Evie, (Rebecca Henderson) her oldest daughter, is gay and married to Pippa (Roberta Colindrez) and they are pregnant, but Mare ignores the wife, pretending that the marriage won't last. Dian, the youngest, obviously has a history of mental issues which really become apparent later when she declares that she’s a prophet. Dian (Shailene Woodley) is pregnant and she and her minister husband James, (Christopher Lowell) have moved in with her parents when he lost his church because of her outrageous behavior. Ginny’s husband (genial David Rasch) is losing it mentally and needs help but she won't face it.

Each year they come together and recreate past Christmases. Little by little, past hurts emerge and this holiday becomes quite tumultuous. The presence of Pippa and Loren give characters reasons to provide background and history.

Despite it all, “Cult of Love,” is often surprisingly funny. Much of the humor stems from insightful writing and great timing and delivery. Many of the funny lines come from Trip Cullman’s deft direction and the family ‘outsiders’ Rachel and Pippa. Although Rachel and Mark have been married for years, she feels separated from the family and Bernard’s sardonic delivery shows her bitterness.

As they sing the opening number with Dad (David Rasche) on the piano, the audience begins to see subtle cracks in the family portrait. This is a tight knit group that makes it difficult for outsiders but after watching for a while, I'm not sure I’d want to be part of this family.
At the end, after Evie packs up to leave, Rachel has gone and Dian has a major meltdown, Mark tries to explain the nature of love and religion to Loren who is making her own quick get-away. Why would she want to stay in this toxic environment?
The closing moments of the play meander and leave us in limbo. The failed priest turned falling lawyer gets philosophical and wordy. Instead of choosing the wife who chose him over her own family, Mark is still the son yearning for his parent's approval, spending the night on their couch. No doubt the family will all be there again next year, though we aren’t sure why.