I was sitting in the theater, innocently watching an interesting play, when I saw my personal foibles portrayed on the stage. I chuckled (whatever that means) to myself when I recognized my unusual habits in some of the main characters of this three-character play. The show was The Retreat From Moscow at the Booth Theater, by William Nicholson.

The play had received mixed reviews. Some were terrible and some reviews were glowing. The John Lahr review in The New Yorker Magazine was the one on which I focused my attention. It is best to select a critic whom you respect and follow his/her recommendations.

John Lithgow played a harried English professor married to a bossy wife. All he desired was to sit quietly and do the crossword puzzles. She, played by Eileen Atkins, insisted on badgering him with conversations about the fading quality of their 33-year-old marriage.

As stated in prior columns I love to attempt to solve crossword puzzles. As a retired person I spend many hours with The New York Times going across and down with Will Shortz the Times puzzle meister. My beautiful wife Lorraine, unlike Ms. Atkins, allows and encourages me. She gives me the peace and quiet atmosphere needed for puzzle solutions.

Another foible of Lithgow's is at the dinner table when he wants the salt, pepper or anything else, he points to it instead of asking for it. I have been reprimanded many times by my children for this action. They force me to verbalize my request before they will accommodate my request.

The son in the production also displayed some familiar penchants of mine. He lived alone and he liked to listen to the radio all night. His father envied him his independence and the ability to do as he pleased.

In my case I listen to the all-night radio because I lived over a noisy candy store in the Bronx and the silence of the nocturnal suburbs is deafening. It is encouraging to observe another person speaking of a habit that I perceived as being asocial in myself.

The son also professes that he loves "hot baths." Hot baths are very relaxing and calming. In this age of daily showers, we bath-takers have gotten bad press. "How can you bathe in your own filth" is a saying that showerers always use hurtfully.

Seeing a play that depicts (1) crossword puzzle use; (2) pointing to condiments at the dinner table; (3) all-night radio listening; and (4) hot baths as a way to relax, showed me that I am not alone in my fixations and behavior. Observing and receiving personal and meaningful insights is why we go to the theater!