DISTRACTED

by Lisa Loomer (TheatreWorks)
April 4 - 26, 2009

...Loomer's fast, funny script treats attention deficit disorder with enough humor, intelligence and ingenuity to keep the mind engaged. Rebecca Dines' (Mama) smart, funny, magnetic and affecting performance, at the head of a first-rate ensemble, commands full focus....Mama is the play's battleground, and Dines draws us in with a portrait of a smart, witty, challenged and loving mother so attractive that we become invested in her dilemma...

Meet stressed-out Mama (the sublime Rebecca Dines).
She gave up her career to stay home and give her
unadulterated attention to her son...

www.theatreworkdinternetmagazine.com

......a tour de force acting job by TheatreWorks/Bay Area
favorite Rebecca Dines, making it a must see show.

Mama leaves no stone unturned to understand AD/HD starting with a Google internet search and seeking those who theoretically are “experts” in the field.
What prevents the play from becoming tedious is Dines’ being on stage the entire play.
Loomer cleverly uses the device of breaking the fourth wall sharing
comments or asking rhetorical questions from the audience.
Her performance would garner a Tony Award if she were playing the role in the ongoing Broadway production. Her individual monologues are
pitch-perfect as are her interactions with the doctors, teachers and her neighbors...

...Glorious Rebecca Dines dives into the part of Mama
with her usual amazing way of becoming the character.
Mama is sensitive, loving and sensible
but she is ever inch a mother that just wants her son to be normal.

This role has to be played with a humorous delicate touch that
could become heavy if not handled properly.
Dines delivers a believable performance that
keeps a depressing subject entertaining and enjoyable...