Defending Lloyd Webber

What a pity that Dan Sullivan is so jaded that he can’t enjoy a show like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” (“A Tame ‘Phantom’ in New York,” Jan. 27).

I feel so sorry for people like him who instantly have to compare Lloyd Webber to Stephen Sondheim, and simply because the former makes more money per show, it also makes him a lesser talent in their minds.

Sullivan is the Robert Hilburn of theater critics. I knew what his review was going to say even before I read it. What a shame that he missed the wonder, magic, romance and heartbreak of “Phantom.” I for one, am forever grateful that Lloyd Webber got to it first.

What a blessing that Lloyd Webber chose music as his life-time occupation, instead of becoming a lawyer, or a plumber, or a mechanic. Perhaps Sullivan ought to explore one of these professions for himself.

JUDITH ANN SMITH

Glendora