The bitch of directing Shakespeare is the number of plates that must be kept spinning: a text packed with outdated language, a chorus of actors running on and off stage for dozens of scenes, and probably a concept Shakespeare never intended. If this daunting effort fails, the director gets most of the blame; we surely can't fault the author. If it works, each cast and crewmember deserves credit. Material that seems as dense as theatrical calculus in Act I must feel breezy and offhand by Act V. And when the timeless magic of Shakespeare truly sings, we get the sense of all gears meshing in a glorious machine.

Much Ado About Nothing at Olympia Little Theatre is just such a production, and while its roster is impressively deep, it earns praise for its director, Terence Artz, most of all.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Much Ado About Nothing in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

[Olympia Little Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing, through March 18, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, $10-$14, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia, 360.786.9484]