<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"
align=center><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=#333333>What Were They Thinking:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Walking Out On The Performing
Arts</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face="Times New Roman">Bob
Abelman</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face="Times New Roman">Cleveland Jewish News, The
News Herald, The Morning Journal</FONT></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face="Times New Roman">Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">“She <SPAN
style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">will
never be invited to another show.”</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"
align=center><EM><SPAN
style="BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in">~
</SPAN></EM><FONT face="Times New Roman"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>New
York </SPAN></I><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>theatrical
press agent Rick Miramontez<SPAN
style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"></SPAN></SPAN></I></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'>Joanne
Kaufman of </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: ">the
Wall Street Journal – a </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'>v</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: ">eteran
contributor of feature stories, profiles and theater criticism – recently wrote
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'>an
article about her tendency to walk out on the plays she’s reviewing during their
performance.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'>In
“Confessions of a Broadway Bolter,” Kaufman claims </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold'>that
“</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>I’m of the
‘brevity is the soul of wit’ school and of the belief that only a few bites are
required to determine that you just don’t like a particular dish.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>By her own admission, she has
short-shifted </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: ">the
Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated musical<SPAN> “The Last Ship</SPAN>,” the Blythe
Danner vehicle<SPAN> “The Country House,”</SPAN><SPAN> and the award-winning
“Kinky Boots” and “Matilda</SPAN>.”</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: "><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: ">We
theatergoers have all noticed </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'>paying patrons
who share this “no thank you portion” mentality.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And while early departures happen in
theaters all around the country, they seem to be particularly rampant here in
Cleveland.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Maybe it’s a sports thing.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Browns, Cavs and Indians fans have –
with the exception of a few dream seasons – grown accustomed to joylessly <SPAN
style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">heading
toward the exit after the 3<SUP>rd</SUP> quarter, at halftime or during the
7<SUP>th</SUP> inning stretch. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
behavior has become so normative that, perhaps, it is also perceived as
acceptable in other forms of live entertainment.</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; tab-stops: 1.0in 5.25in"><SPAN
lang=CS style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-ansi-language: cs"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; LINE-HEIGHT: 14pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">For the rest of this article, go to:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN><A
style='href: "http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/"'><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"
color=#0000ff>http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/</FONT></A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-outline-level: 2"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 0%; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>