
Staff Writer
If ever there was an aptly named play, “Distracted” is the one. Dealing with the delicate subject of attention deficit disorder, the production bombards the audience with images on three huge background screens and with loud, off-stage noises. Lisa Loomer is a clever playwright who can conjure up a fanciful way of dealing with a serious problem, but perhaps here she is too glib.
Rita Wilson is a charming and convincing mother who has no name but is called “Mama” during the play. She has a nine-year-old son who does not behave like a “normal” child. Is he just a brat or does he need medical attention? That is Mama’s terrible dilemma. Where to turn?
Her husband, well played by Ray Porter, rushes off to work with a carefree attitude. “He’s just a boy,” he says, not having to deal with his son’s sulkiness, shouting and obscenities. Then there are the neighbors who are dealing with their own problems. Marita Geraghty is in the middle of a divorce and Johanna Day is happily into drugs as the solution to all life’s problems. These two actresses are particularly appealing.
The talented Bronson Pinchot plays four doctors (count them) and all of them add to poor Mama’s confusion. Most down-to-earth is the wonderful Stephanie Berry as the teacher who must deal with an overcrowded classroom and has no time for a “misfit.” She also plays three minor characters to perfection.
The excellent set, a modern-looking contraption that can serve as anything from a kitchen to a doctor’s office, was designed by Elaine J. McCarthy. Leonard Foglia serves as the director.
The subject is a serious one, with young children being treated with drugs for any character deviation. It is important to bring this problem to the attention of the public and Loomer has done us a service. But must the play be so peripatetic?