A COUPLE OF KVETCHINGS

The play “Kvetch” is about people who become so obsessed with life’s minor annoyances that they cannot cope with larger realities.

The same can be said of Shirley’s review. In a review that was eight paragraphs long, Shirley chose to write about his seat location for five of those paragraphs.

Five.

As “Donna,” I am grateful for the compliment of being described as “wonderfully tortured” in the review. But I feel a bit more space could have been devoted to a critique of a production that has been running for 15 months, rather than Shirley’s own personal crabbiness concerning his seat.

Besides, our reviewer is lucky to have had a seat at all.

Shirley failed to notify his readership that he arrived too late for the show he was originally supposed to review. The theater had reserved a front-row-center seat for the 7 p.m. Saturday show he had asked to attend. But because he was late, Shirley was given a place in the later--sold-out--9:45 show. Perhaps the box office should have kicked out patrons who had paid $18.50 for those front-row-center seats. Perhaps not.

Perhaps Shirley felt uneasy or guilty about his tardiness and loss of professional perks. Or perhaps he has allowed our production to affect him more than he knows--and can now kvetch with the best of them.

LEDA SISKIND

Los Angeles