Holiday Cheers (and a Jeer) for Rockettes

The Grinch is alive and writing under the name of Don Shirley for the L.A. Times (“Rockettes: Just Kicking Around,” Dec. 12). Only someone with such a mean disposition could have so belittled the charming and captivating “Radio City Christmas Spectacular.”

ANN T. RATTO

Woodland Hills

*

Don Shirley, a.k.a. Mr. Scrooge, do you have a leg fetish? The Rockettes dancing in unison with perfect kicks and perfect smiles is the way it is supposed to be. The “Christmas Spectacular” at the Universal Amphitheatre is first-rate in every way. I saw the NYC show in 1996, and this production is every bit as good.

LAURIE KELSON

Encino

*

The fact that the Rockettes came to Los Angeles without using 35 musicians, as they do for their New York audiences, is disgusting and one they should be ashamed of.

Shirley mentioned that the evening he attended there were no musicians with picket signs. Unfortunately, he missed us by one day. The night before, he would have seen more than 200 members of many unions in addition to musicians. Since his review, we have had pickets every day.

HAL ESPINOSA

President-elect, Local 47

American Federation of Musicians

Los Angeles

*

We had eight people in our group from ages 1 to 68, and when I looked down the row, I saw eight very smiling faces.

Having been to the Crystal Cathedral with angels flying across the ceiling, I’ll take this show’s humble representation of the Nativity scene any day with its potent message of what Christmas really is.

ANNELLA DOSDALL

Palos Verdes