Calendar Letters: TV show doesn’t reflect Hawaii

Regarding “Old Spells, New Magic” [Sept. 16]: Yvonne Villarreal missed the point when she asked Peter Lenkov about hiring Latino writers because his reboot of “Magnum P.I.” stars a Mexican American. The real question is why does the show not star an Asian/Pacific Islander (API), who constitute 60% of Hawaii’s population? Instead the main characters are a Latino (7%), a black (3%) and two whites (30%). This is Hawaii?

Guy Aoki

Los Angeles

A tip of the tiara to your coverage

This letter is about the excellent writing of Los Angeles Times Television Critic Lorraine Ali, particularly the articles titled “Where Does Miss America Fit in 2018?” [Sept. 9] and “A New Miss America? Well, Sort of” [Sept. 11].

Ali’s description and analysis of the issue of Miss America is very informative and intriguing as she brings out many facets of this subject, which is of interest to Americans of all ages.

Raymond Jallow

Los Angeles

Thank you, from a Tom Petty fan

Thank you for another wonderful, albeit bittersweet, article on Tom Petty [“Still an ‘American Treasure’” Sept. 16]. Though it’s been just about a year since Mr. Petty’s passing, it still feels so new, so impossible. I can’t thank you enough for keeping Tom’s memory alive.

Cassandra Kiena

Costa Mesa

The Eagles did take flight

After reading Mikael Wood’s review of the Eagles’ [“Road-Tested Eagles Return to the Forum,” Sept. 14], my expectations were lowered. According to Wood, the Eagles were mediocre, at best, and merely went through the motions. I was pleasantly surprised when I attended the Saturday evening concert and witnessed a highly energized and enthusiastic two-and-a-half-hour performance by the band.

Charles Reilly

Manhattan Beach

It’s too bad, in my opinion, that Mikael Wood seems unable to tell the difference between “boring” and “poignant” when describing the Eagles’ renditions of “Hotel California” and “Desperado.”

It was an iconic moment, reminiscent of the past, as the “new” Eagles move their gorgeous, tight harmonies and beautiful arrangements into the future.

Rebecca S. Hertsgaard

Palm Desert

The devil is in the details

Katie Walsh’s review of ‘Lizzie’ is excellent [“‘Lizzie’ is Methodical and Measured to a Fault,” Sept. 14]. However, I am disappointed with screenwriter Bryce Kass’s portrayal of Andrew Borden as a sexual abuser of Bridget, the maid, and with the portrayal Bridget as a lesbian.

As a teacher of American history and literature for 35 years, and one who studied the Borden case, I know there is no evidence of Mr. Borden as a sexual abuser, nor of Bridget as a lesbian.

There’s plenty of circumstantial evidence for Lizzie as the killer, and solid evidence of Mr. Borden as a frugal controlling patriarch, and evidence of Lizzie as a lesbian.

Although Mr. Borden was a jerk, it’s unfair to smear him as a rapist. No need to create fiction when the truth is — at least sometimes — stranger.

David Salvaggio

Redlands

Production made no sense

I beg to differ with Margaret Gray’s review of the stage adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility” [“Jane Austen Treated with Such Sensibility,” Sept. 14] at South Coast Repertory Theater. I don’t think Austen’s material was treated with elan or sensibility. Most of the actors played their parts too broadly. Austen’s writing is witty, finding humor in human shortcomings, not to be played in a vaudevillian style for big laughs.

Linda McCarthy

Lake Forest

I was pleased that The Times ran a review of the recent play at South Coast Repertory, “Sense and Sensibility.” That is, until I read it. The review was glowingly positive, but that was not the play that I saw.

What was wrong with it? First, the director did not seem to know whether to make the play as a farce, a comedy or, as it should have been, a serious study of 19th century English society. Second, the casting of the characters was an utter failure. The “Hamilton” diversity-style casting failed when applied to this family of three sisters. One could not feel a connection between the family members. It was even worse that the eldest was too meek for the role, the middle too old and the youngest was played too silly.

Bruce L. Scott

Fountain Valley

Reach out with music

Regarding “Soloists Shine on Violin, Guitar and, Yes, Castanets” [Sept. 15]: I am one of hundreds of lucky listeners who heard “Placido Domingo Conducts Music from Spain” with Joshua Bell at the Hollywood Bowl. I thought as I listened to that beautifully played Spanish music (often written by Frenchmen) that someone must take some excerpts of this worthy concert and make a CD that can be sent to every class room in America — or at least everyone in Los Angeles — and send it to the prisons holding the thousands of Hispanic children America has arrested as “illegal.”

Maybe we can allow the grace and beauty of Spanish art to stop Hispanic-bashing and create new music lovers.

Mir Faugno

Playa del Rey

Nothing to say but fantastic

Regarding “A ‘Bacchae’ to Remember” [Sept. 12]: I was fortunate enough to attend the gala preview of The Getty performance of “Bacchae.” The performance, in Japanese, by Ms. Akiko Aizawa was the pivotal point of the play.

The sheer intensity of Aizawa did not need any language. A truly breakthrough performance of which no text or dialogue was discounted.

Kene J. Rosa

Los Angeles

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