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A COUPLE OF KVETCHINGS

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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.

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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.

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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

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