I know it's gauche to rely on national stereotypes, but golly, those Canadians sure are nice. Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote OLT a program note from Nova Scotia: "Big hugs!" ... Theatre makes the world smaller and far more civilized." Awwww.

Delaney calls Welfarewell a "social satire." I call it liberal propaganda, and it gets a bit preachy toward the end. They should run it on a video loop at Occupy Wall Street events. I step lightly into spoiler country by saying that Welfarewell has the saddest opening scene of any comedy since Up. (Oh, that mailbox ... Damn you, Pixar!) We find our heroine, 80-year-old British expat Esmerelda Quipp, in an icy kitchen as her lights go out for nonpayment. She struggles to feed her cat, Merlin, her hands shaking so violently she can barely open the tin. Her story gets darker from there.

To read Christian Carvajal's full review, click here.

[Olympia Little Theatre, Welfarewell, through Nov. 20, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, $10-$14, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia, 360.786.9484]