The Glory of <i>The Glory of Living</i> - Austinist: Austin News, Food, Arts & Events

We hate to whine, but sometimes writing reviews can be really difficult. You'd think it'd be the negative reviews we'd struggle with, but nope. It's the glowingly positive ones. This explains our delay in getting our thoughts about Hyde Park Theatre's current production, The Glory of Living, onto paper. Or rather, ether. We liked this production so much that we're a little tongue-tied.

We keep asking ourselves, "Where to start?" Part of us wants to wax rhapsodic, but another feels compelled to deconstruct this complex, thought-provoking piece. This we do know: we won't be giving you much of a plot synopsis. As a matter of fact, we'll just tell you what HPT has to say, which is that the play "traces the journey of a teenage girl who runs away with an ex-convict only to be drawn into a world of sex, lost innocence and murder." That sums things up pretty well, so we're sticking with it.

Why can't we divulge more? Among other reasons, because Kelsey Kling's powerhouse performance as Lisa, the teenage girl, is integrated into the plot so completely that revealing too much would spoil the subtlety and intelligence of her work. Kling inhabits Lisa with unfettered, satisfying completeness. It's clear the actress has thoughtfully, carefully dissected the character. As the story unfolds, Kling undergoes a constant, careful, quiet transformation that only the most thoughtful and accomplished of actresses could master. She truly shines in this role, and for her performance alone we would recommend this production to anyone. But there's much more to praise, so we needn't stop there.

Among other things, Rebecca Gilman's script knocked our socks off. This is the southwest premiere of The Glory of Living, which has received many accolades to date (American Theatre Critics Association Osborn Award; London Evening Standard Award for Best New Play; Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best New Work; Pulitzer Prize nomination). We're not surprised. Not to trivialize Gilman's work, but we're pretty hooked on the Law & Order franchise, and The Glory of Living follows the L&O format: Act I depicts the criminals at their crimes; Act II shows the fallout, or what happens when the bad guys get caught. This familiar outline gave us a comfort-level with the story that we appreciated. The play deals with some very dark subjects, but the straightforward telling and the realism of the dialog gave us a chance to settle in and focus on the characters, which is what this work is really all about.

The two other lead roles are the men in Lisa's life: her older, felonious boyfriend, Clint, and her court-appointed, inexperienced lawyer, Carl. As Clint, Joey Hood is somehow slimy and appealing all at the same time. Clint's initial interaction with Lisa comes off as a sweet seduction -- his primary motivation seems to be rescuing her. Hood & Kling create a powerful chemistry in this scene that carries throughout the performance. Additionally, Hood maintains a yin/yang persona, keeping the audience guessing as to whether he's the force behind all of the couple's misdeeds, or just some of them. It's been awhile since we've seen Hood on stage, and we were reminded of how strong an actor he is. We hope to see him again soon. Kenneth Wayne Bradley's Carl is something of a foil to Clint. He comes into Lisa's life as the only man who has ever been kind to her. Bradley succeeds in making Carl genuine and transparent, without any stilt or fakery, and this helps the audience glimpse further into Lisa's mystique. We loved Bradley's work in last season's Ham, we loved him in this role, and now we're really looking forward to seeing him in this Thursday's screening of Room at the Alamo.

The other ringers that round out this packed cast also put on outstanding work. Jude Hickey has a key scene with Carl as a survivor and witness of one of the crimes. The scene is primarily for giving data, but Hickey's performance in it is powerful, and strengthens it beyond its intended, plot-forwarding purpose. Similarly, the excellent Andrea Skola takes a brief turn as Lisa's mother, and packs it with the right amount of impact to remind us, throughout the play, as to why Lisa is the way she is. As the couple's victims, Monika Bustamante, Jessie Lane Tilton, and Heather Huggins have meatier-than-usual support roles to tinker with, and the actresses take full advantage. And last but not least, stepping into the roles very late in the rehearsal process, Ken Webster takes the stage as various unflappable cop-types. We always love seeing Webster on the boards. We wish he'd do it more often.

But we're a fan of his direction, too, and we have to give him some serious props for this production -- and, more than likely, script selection. If this review seems like a character study, that's because the impact of The Glory of Living is its finely wrought, fascinating personalities and absorbing plot. So often a work is either too heavy on story twists, or saddled down with roles that are all flash but no substance. Because Webster clearly had his actors dig deep -- and then deeper -- this production gives so very much to study, while also leaving a few tantalizing items for the audience to decide.

All told, this is our favorite production thus far for 2006. Considering the great work we've already seen, this is intended as high praise. So if you're hankering for a satisfying night of theatre, check it out.

Thu / Fri / Sat @ 8pm thru April 15
Thu = Pay-What-You-Can-Night / Fri & Sat = $17 ($15 for students, seniors, and ACOT members)
Hyde Park Theatre / 511 W. 43rd Street
479-PLAY (7529) for reservations

Photo (c) Hyde Park Theatre.