Neil Simon got his start in TV, where he wrote alongside Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. His material has the familiar exposition, setup, punch line construction of TV comedy. As I watched Olympia Little Theatre's presentation of Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers, I was reminded of how effortless Simon makes it all look. It's set in December 1969, the same month the play opened on Broadway, and it follows the adventures of Barney, a middle-aged husband, as he attempts to cheat on his wife with three different women. (In that sense, the play's a charming counterpoint to Same Time, Next Year, which OLT staged last spring.) What keeps this nebbish from being despicable is his amorous ineptitude - no spoilers, but his fourth time's the charm - and the fact that he really just wants to learn what's so fantastic about the Sexual Revolution.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Last of the Red Hot Lovers in the Music and Culture section.

LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, through Sept. 29, Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia, $10-$14, 360.786.9484