THE STORY: Miller and Malia Hunter have a troubled marriage, but they get by just fine until Miller slips into a pattern of destructive drinking. Life is hard enough in the Texas Panhandle, but Miller’s downward spiral begins to unravel the Hunter family and seriously threaten son Eric’s upbringing. After a bout with the bottle and the local sheriff, Miller is hauled into jail and the new deputy, Keith, is dispatched to inform Malia that she must come into town and collect her husband. Malia and Keith see sparks the moment they lay eyes on one another. Keith’s entrance into the Hunters’ lives only complicates things further as young Eric strikes up a friendship with the new deputy. Malia is soon torn apart and must choose between the two men. Will she fight to keep her family together and repair a marriage falling apart at the seams, or will she accept Keith’s offer to take care of her and Eric as they should be taken care of?
“Your name is Miller Lee, and you’re feelin’ down because your parents just had you thrown in jail. Your wife, Malia, is in no hurry to pick you up, and when she finally does and you do get back to your rural Texas home, your son won’t make eye contact with you, and it seems the new sheriff in town has a crush on your wife. It’s no country song, but the distinctively Texas vibe reverberates true. It’s the first few scenes of THE REST OF THE NIGHT…Vaughan writes tough love in a way that makes your heart ache. He seems to write with a knowing, sympathetic pain. His characters who hand themselves over to love are so intense they almost outshine the others on stage, those who love less and feel unloved, and the bitter battle quickly becomes the unexpected focal point of the play…it’s impressively lyrical, especially when addressing the work’s main emotions…It’s risky, but it squashes the chances of stagnancy and brings new life to the stage.” —Denver Post.
