The Glory of Living Starring Ms. Kate Huffman

Hurry! You’ve got one weekend left to see Kate Huffman and Brett Aune sizzle in the El Centro/Athene Theatre production of The Glory of Living. Flawlessly directed by Alice Ensor and Joe Koonce, the multi-company collaboration of Rebecca Gilman’s Pulitzer Prize – nominated script is expertly executed with the help of a spot-on supporting cast.

Set in and around the deep South of Gilman’s youth, The Glory of Living follows teenager Lisa (Huffman) as she’s seduced into a life of abuse and crime with a much older husband (Aune). The sex, drinking, and violence become all the more shocking as we realize that to Lisa, this couldn’t be more normal. A plot full of sickening twists and turns make for jaw-dropping gasps as the evening continues.

Huffman’s performance is a far cry from her most recent turn on the LA stage, as the upper class, innocent Anya in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Seeing a complete transformation of age, education, accent and personality is the kind of acting exercise students and professionals alike need to see.

Brett Aune is terrifying as Clint, Lisa’s abusive, smarter-than-you’d-like-to-think husband. He is perfectly haunting in a bedroom scene where Lisa is drunk and particularly vulnerable. Just when we expect more verbal and physical abuse, Aune becomes eerily tender and gentle. Details like this are expertly used by co-directors Ensor and Koonce, in showing us just how easily it is to be drawn in and held down by Aune’s adept manipulation.

The Glory of Living continues this Friday and Saturday, November 20th-21st at 8pm at the El Centro Theatre, 804 N. El Centro Ave, Hollywood, Ca 90038. Tickets are available by calling 323-230-7261 or online at www.athenatheatre.com