Cult of Love
| Cult Of Love | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Leslye Headland |
| Date premiered | May 18, 2018 |
| Place premiered | IAMA Theatre Company |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Modern Day, U.S. |
Cult Of Love is a dramatic stage play with music, written by American playwright Leslye Headland. [1]
Background[edit]
Lesley Headland conceived the play as part of her Seven Deadly Sins cycle, with Cult of Love representing the theme of pride. Headland examines the Dahl family under the lens of excepting your family for who they are, even when their beliefs may be different than yours. The title comes from the idea that the familial unit can in its own way be a cult of its own, while she also tackles themes of religious differences within a household. The show premiered at the IAMA Theatre in Los Angeles as part of their 10th Anniversary season in 2018. Directed by Annie Tippe, the show ran from May 18, 2018 until June 24, 2018. [2]
The show was next performed in 2020 with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Trip Cullman, originally meant to be an in-person production, it was done for Audible as an audio recording instead during the Covid-19 pandemic. The show includes musical segments with original songs, with the family gathering together to sing during the holidays.[3]
Production history[edit]
Berkeley Rep (2024)[edit]
A new production was staged by Berkeley Repertory as part of their 2023-2024 season, running from January 26 - March 3, 2024. [4][5]
Broadway (2024)[edit]
The Berkeley Repertory Theatre production was announced to transfer to Broadway with Trip Cullman returning as director, as part of Second Stage Theater's 2024-2025 season at the Helen Hayes Theater. The show is set to begin previews November 20, 2024, with an opening date of December 12, 2024.[6]
Original casts[edit]
| Character | Los Angeles | Williamstown | Berkeley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2020 | 2024 | |
| Virginia "Ginny" Dahl | Keliher Walsh | Kate Burton | Luisa Sermol |
| William "Bill" Dahl | Tom Amandes | Dylan Baker | Dan Hiatt |
| Diana Dahl-Bennett | Christine Woods | Taylor Schilling | Kerstin Anderson |
| James Bennett | Graham Sibley | Christopher Lowell | |
| Mark Dahl | John Lavelle | Michael Esper | Lucas Near-Verbrugghe |
| Rachel Dahl | Laila Ayad | Miriam Silverman | Molly Bernard |
| Evie Dahl | Melissa Stephens | Rebecca Henderson | Virginia Kull |
| Johnny Dahl | Christian Durso | - | Christopher Sears |
| Pippa Ferguson | Tina Huang | - | Cass Bugge |
| Lauren Montgomery | Lilli Stein | Paige Gilbert | Vero Maynez |