Optimism isn't dead.

True, the economy is going sour and the war is dragging on. True, politicians are bickering, writers are striking and celebrities are self-destructing.

But in a little corner of our state, folks are feeling gosh-darn peachy. Pollyanna is playing at the Silver Center for the Arts in Plymouth. And the little girl's sunshiny attitude seems to be rubbing off.

"The message of Pollyanna is just so current with what we need to hear right now," said director Trish Lindberg, who has turned the best-selling 1913 novel into a musical production for the Educational Theatre Collaborative. "Why does our society sometimes look down on people who choose to see their glasses as half full? I think that so much more is accomplished in life when people are positive."

Certainly, Lindberg's cast and production crew are proving her right. "We've had so much fun with this production," she said. "Putting this type of thing together can be extremely stressful, but there's just been a great spirit of optimism."

And she believes it has the power to spread. "I really hope people will be moved by it and take something away from it," Lindberg said.

It would be fitting, anyway, for a Pollyanna revival to begin here in New Hampshire's North Country. The young heroine was created by Littleton author Eleanor H. Porter, and the town still embraces the book and its message. A bronze Pollyanna statue greets visitors, and residents celebrate "Glad Day" each year. There's even a group called Pollyanna of Littleton Inc., which puts together numerous activities to coincide with the production.

Lindberg visited the town's library in 2003 and came away with a vision of bringing Pollyanna to the stage. She wrote the script and worked with several composers including well-known local composer Will Ogmundson to create the songs.

While the plot remains true to the 1913 script, Lindberg hopes songs like the persnickety "Did You Ever?" and the sentimental "Rainbow in Your Eyes," add new energy and emotion.

It's been challenging, she says, to translate the tale into a production that speaks to both the young and the old, the cynical and the trusting. But she's been encouraged by the number of people who've joined the effort, from professional actors and musicians, to children, to Plymouth State students, faculty and staff. "It's a total community collaborative project," she said.

Pollyanna plays tonight through Sunday night at 7 and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Silver Center for the Arts in Plymouth. Tickets are $20-$22 for adults and $16-$18 for students and seniors and can be purchased at 535-ARTS or silver.plymouth.edu. There will be a lunch with the characters on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Common Man Inn in Plymouth. Contact Pam Irish at 535-2647 for more information.

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BY SARAH M. EARLE

Monitor staff