I wanted so much to love Tuesdays with Morrie at Olympia Little Theatre. It is a great script, staged at a great theater, and had a solid cast in the two-man show. Or at least that is what I thought.

This touching version of Mitch Albom’s well-known book left my theater companion in tears as she remembered the “Morrie” in her life. I have to admit my eyes were damp during the final scene of the show. It was a solid show that could have been a great show if only one of the actors had pulled his weight.

The show tells the story of a successful sports writer named Mitchell (played by Tim Goebel) who is visiting his former college professor, Morrie (Tim Hoban). Morrie is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease and becomes progressively less mobile and vibrant as the play unfolds.

Mitchell visits Morrie every Tuesday during the final summer and fall of his life and asks him all of the questions people have struggled with for years. The show is about friendship, love, being true to one’s self, and knowing what is really important in life, especially as death nears. The play has a special resonance for director Chad Carpenter. He was motivated to take on the project as a tribute to his father who died of the disease in 2007.

As expected, Hoban was amazing. His nuanced transformation from a vibrant sociology professor to a bedridden shell of a man was nothing less than mind-bending. He owned this role.

If only Goebel had followed his example.

Goebel is a noted actor in his own right, but he misfired in this performance. I didn’t believe for a second that he was a caring college student, or an ambitious sports reporter, or an understanding friend watching his mentor die. I just didn’t buy into any of it. His performance was stiff, and rushed, and uneven, and forced.

Hoban’s performance swung for the fences and hit the ball out of the stadium. Goebel connected with nothing but air time and time again during the 90-minute show.

[Olympia Little Theatre, through March 29, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, $10-$12, 1925 Miller Ave., Olympia, 360.943.7500]

Steve Dunkelberger has covered the South Sound theater scene for 14 years.  He can be reached via

or at his virtual voice mail at 320.216.5007.