LOS ANGELES -- The retirement of columnist/critic Bruce Feld was announced recently by the entertainment weekly Drama-Logue (soon to be Back Stage West).

Feld, who has reviewed plays, written features and compiled the Theatre Beat column for Drama-Logue since 1989, has stepped down to concentrate on writing a novel.

"I am grateful for the support and dedication Bruce has given to Drama-Logue during his tenure and wish him the very best in all future endeavors," said editor-in-chief Faye Bordy Fears.

In a farewell column, Feld paid tribute to his fellow journalists "who work so hard in tough circumstances with little acknowledgment. I know how much blood, sweat and tears are sacrificed by every individual who dedicates their lives to a profession which offers total fulfillment but very few other compensations."

Feld also recalled some of the amusing things that have happened to him as a reviewer. "One woman came up to me during intermission of an admittedly obscure play and asked, 'What did I just see?'" Another time, a fellow critic, an elderly gentleman, pursued him in the lobby after they had just sat through a historical melodrama that was a total disaster. "That was a bad play, wasn't it?" he asked, with shocking sincerity. Feld also said people were always wanting to know who has given the best and worst performance. "The answer is simple. The best performance is always given by the actor who serves the play; the worst by the producers and directors in the lobby pretending not to study the critics to see if they liked the first act."

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent