When people complain about critics - which, come to find out, they do with some regularity - one of their first accusations is usually, "They make up their mind before they ever see the show." Well, perhaps some do. Personally, I haven't been able to make it work.

Take, for example, Olympia Little Theatre's production of the 1944 Mary Chase classic, Harvey. I was pretty sure I "knew" what I was getting into. I'd been strongly encouraged to audition for it, but declined on the grounds that I couldn't connect with the script. I declared it dated, and even more damning, found it unfunny. Besides, who'd be crazy enough to accept a role portrayed so iconically by Jimmy Stewart in the 1950 film? The answer to that question is Tom Sanders, who wisely makes no attempt whatsoever to imitate Stewart. Sanders' Elwood P. Dowd is a mensch with a sparkle in his eye; and after a minute of opening-scene stiffness at Thursday's preview, he relaxed charmingly.

But what really gets OLT's Harvey off to its endearing start is Marsha Guilfoyle's nuanced work as Elwood's tortured sister, Veta. The program says this is Guilfoyle's third play after years away from the boards, but aspiring actors would do well to study her adroit marriage of 1940s-style acting with naturalistic reacting. It eases us into the show's "reality," which is no more realistic than Elwood's invisible familiar. (Or is it?) She's paired well with Silva Goetz as her daughter, Myrtle Mae, and a subdued Jeff Hirschberg as Judge Gaffney.

Meanwhile, over on the sanitarium side of the stage, Hannah Andrews makes a lovely Nurse Kelly, providing just the right postmodern slant on the sexism endemic in her office. And her Plaza Suite-mate Ryan Holmberg is downright hysterical as Duane Wilson, an orderly with serious rage issues. For an amusing demonstration of what Brecht called "gestus," meaning a recurring gesture that makes a symbolic point about a character, watch Holmberg's itchy right hand. I'm looking forward to his work as "the Bogle," a kind of angelic pixie, in OLT's next show, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol.

Aside from the line and technical glitches one usually sees at a final dress rehearsal, I found the placement of an implied door to Elwood's sitting room confusing. Excessive stammering betrayed one actor's scheduling obstacles. But director Toni Murray's vision of the show is consistent, and it's supported by smart music choices and effective "visualizations" of the title character.

I saw Harvey at the end of a very long day. I didn't expect to like it; in fact, quite the opposite. I've seen the movie several times more than I felt it deserved. As I drove to the theater, I suspected this production would mark the end of OLT's recent winning streak. I was wrong. The preview audience laughed over and over, as did I, at everything from Sanders' obliviousness to, of all things, a joke about Guilfoyle's hair. Theater has a way of confounding all our critical expectations, and thank the Muses for that.

Harvey

Through Nov. 14, 7:55 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 1:55 Sun., $8-$12

Olympia Little Theatre, 1925 Miller Ave. NE, Olympia, 360.786.9484