Alan Ayckbourn's comedy/thriller, Communicating Doors, currently playing at the Variety Arts Theatre, will shut its doors Jan. 3, 1999. The show, which opened Aug. 20, will have played 158 performances and 17 previews.

Anne Bobby (who replaced original star Mary-Louise Parker), Patricia Hodges and Candy Buckley co-star in the piece, which takes place in one hotel room during three different time periods -- 1974, 1994 and 2014. The title refers to the fact that walking through the room's doors facilitates the change from one era to another.

Director Christopher Ashley staged such Off-Broadway comedies as Jeffrey, Bunny Bunny and Blown Sideways Through Life. Other Ayckbourn plays include The Norman Conquests, Woman In Mind, Absurd Person Singular, Henceforward, Bedroom Farce and A Small Family Business. Communicating Doors won the 1996 Writers Guild Award for Best West End Play and a 1997 Best Comedy "Moliere Award" in Paris.

Tickets ($25-$45) for Communicating Doors at the Variety Arts Theatre, (110 Third Ave.) are currently on sale via Tele-Charge, (212) 239-6200.

--By Robert Simonson