Cult of Love was fantastic at Berkeley Rep. In a lot of ways, a very traditional family drama, but confronting questions of (and differences in) faith in a rich, textured way. The cast in Berkeley was fantastic, and I’d be happy to see them transfer, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bigger name or two brought in to make it splashier.
I'll echo the last post. I came in with very low expectations for this particular piece and found it really exhilarating. It's very much of the "August: Osage County/Appropriate" style family potboiler show, and a very well crafted one at that. Funny and deep without being too self-serious, and the family's tendancy to break into Christmas carols and hymns is a delightfully weird touch. The play's best feature is a tendency towards hyper-realistic overlapping dialogue, which creates a terrifically chaotic family atmosphere. I caught the show twice and felt the second viewing absolutely enriched the experience. It was a one-act at Berkeley Rep, but frankly could benefit from an intermission; it felt slightly too long for a one-act.
The cast was fantastic, and I'd especially like to see Kerstin Anderson as (the most religious of the siblings) and the wonderful bay areas actor Dan Hiatt and Luisa Sermol (as the parents) go to New York.
Cult of Love has been on my mind for some time now, ever since WTF was supposed to do it as part of their 2020 season, so I'm incredibly pleased to finally get the chance to see it. That production had some pretty great people attached as well (Kate Burton, Taylor Schilling, Michael Esper, Dylan Baker among others); perhaps at least one of them might be able to find their way into this staging. Either way, I'm looking forward to it.