I loved this play!

Distracted at Olympia Little Theatre is one of those productions where, halfway through, I was thinking, "Please don't screw up the ending, ‘cause Act 1 was terrific." Then I was sorry it ended at all. It's that good.

I don't mean it's without imperfections. Opening night, actors lost their place once or twice in an episodic timeline, though the nature of the script made it possible to cover with aplomb. This being community theater, some actors are quite a bit greener than others; indeed, opening night marked the first appearance on stage for at least one performer. But when actors with varying experience and technical vocabularies come together in a unified gestalt, the director deserves much of the credit - and although this is only Jim Patrick's one-and-a-halfth time at the conn (he rescued A Few Good Men when its first director bailed), I'm beginning to suspect he may be one of the best directors working in the South Sound area.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Distracted in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

[Olympia Little Theatre, Distracted, through April 29, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, $10–$14, 1725 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia, 360.786.9484]