'Beethoven' show is better than critic claims
LETTERS
IWAS stunned by the review of "Beethoven, as I Knew Him" ["Oh, Für Elise's Sake," by David Ng, Aug. 27]. Did this reviewer see the same show that brought hundreds of audience members to their feet in a standing ovation? Comparing this virtuosic performance to a Vegas lounge act was gratuitous and inappropriate.
Hershey Felder has an outstanding talent. I've also seen his Gershwin show as well as a segment from his performance as Chopin. In each, he metamorphoses completely into the character(s) he is playing. His uncanny acting ability, brilliant piano playing and gifted storytelling combine to make the Beethoven show another memorable evening in the theater.
Isabel Storey
Santa Monica
WHILE I thought that Hershey Felder's pieces about Gershwin and Chopin were better, "Beethoven, as I Knew Him" offered a capsule biography, a bit of lovely music and a performance by an outstanding artist who deserves far better than to be trashed by The Times.
I've seen some truly lousy theater in Los Angeles but the Felder play doesn't come close to that. I can only conclude that Ng was having a bad day.
Barbara H. Bergen
Los Angeles
Animal abuse
APES should no longer be used for entertainment [" 'Every Which Way but Abuse' Should Be Motto," by Rachel Abramowitz, Aug. 27]. To get chimpanzees to perform, trainers often beat them into submission; that is no way to treat animals, through violence and fear.
With computer-generated images already available, the use of live animals in front of the camera should end.
Anthony Montapert
North Hollywood
THIS article made me cry. It's hard to imagine anyone being so cruel as to viciously beat a young animal with pipes and broom handles for the sole purpose of making that animal perform tricks for a movie. These so-called trainers must be prosecuted for animal abuse.
Laura Frisk
Encinitas
Mom knows best
SUSAN CARPENTER, in her witty and perceptive review of Sandra Tsing Loh's new book "Mother on Fire" ["One Mom's Gleeful Rant," Aug. 22], did an excellent job of capturing Tsing Loh's consistently amusing (but seriously concerned) tone when navigating the grotesque horrors of the Los Angeles Unified School District's labyrinthine "system."
Barry Smolin
Los Angeles
Words can hurt
