Feedback: Mueller, the musical? Readers come up with their own lyrics
Reading rainbow
Regarding the review of Jon Savage’s book “A Brief, Shattering Existence” [April 21]: I read Henry Rollins’ review of the Joy Division book twice. Afterward, I had the pleasure of listening to a band I had always been aware of but had never sat down and paid attention to. First, I was mesmerized by the article, and then by the music.
That would be enough, but as I type this, the Rainbow Curry from Thursday’s new Food section [“Five or Fewer: Quick and Fresh Noodle Dinners,” April 25] is simmering on my stove.
Keep up the good work, LA Times.
Abel Horwitz
Los Angeles
O Mueller, the musical
Regarding Mary McNamara’s column “Mueller, a Musical” [April 24]: Those who are inclined to view the Mueller report as musical farce or comedy either are in denial or have not been paying attention. Trump has a verified history of mental, moral and fiscal bankruptcy, and openly expresses admiration for murderous autocrats such as Putin, Saudi Prince MBS, and Kim Jong Un.
In truth, Trump’s misdeeds should be regarded as tragedy. As in Shakespeare’s “King Richard the Third”: “O Buckingham, take heed of yonder dog! Look when he fawns, he bites; and when he bites, his venom tooth will rankle to the death. Have not to do with him. Beware of him.”
Tom Nichols
Los Osos
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I have several other possible Broadway titles for Ms. McNamara. First, “Dumber and Dumber Part 2020” featuring impossibly bad actors masquerading as the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates. Next, “The Towering Inferno Part 2014” featuring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel as Putin in a battle over who gets the penthouse in the new Trump Tower, Moscow. Finally, “Julius Caesar 2019” a musical featuring Joe Biden in the lead. The possibilities are endless for musical fun.
Mark Walker
Chino Hills
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Methinks Mary McNamara doth protest too much about how her in-progress “Mueller, a Musical” may not prove worthy of stage production. Au contraire. I think her project is brilliant. Timely insights and wry melodic adaptations will appeal widely to audiences that prefer fact-based plots served up with aptly emotive music. When McNamara completes the final act of “Mueller, a Musical” — ideally to encompass the denouement of Trump’s reign — count me as a potential investor in her epic enterprise.
Nancy Stone
Santa Monica
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I’m anxiously awaiting the next act of Mary McNamara’s epic unfinished “Mueller, a Musical.” Though Act 3 is “still in development,” she’s set the stage with her concluding Act 2 lines: “You are just lying / To cut your jail time.”
Hoping to help, here’s my suggestion for lyrical adaptations of what has to be Act 3’s primary melody. (Sung to the tune of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”)
“Goofy Giuliani said to Obstructin’ Don / You’re the hippest jailbird to ever pull a con / I sure have been delighted with your collu-shun / Come on, let’s do the Jailhouse Rock for fun”
More power to Mary McNamara’s effort to make musicals great again.
Edward Alston
Santa Maria
Mary Mac goosebumps
Regarding “Let’s Unite for Our Epic Battles” [May 1] on the unite or perish messages in “Avengers: Endgame” and “Game of Thrones”: Once again, Mary McNamara gives me goose bumps.
It’s a gift to your readers that she’s back to writing a regular column.
Barbara Beckley
Burbank
Short memory
In Randy Lewis’ article on the film “Yesterday” [“No Easy Game to Play,” April 28], he quotes director Danny Boyle: “It’s such a brilliant idea — I can’t believe it’s not been done before.”
The idea has been done before. The movie short “Nowhere Band” was making the rounds at some of the European festivals, I believe, before the movie “Yesterday” was in production. Recently, “Nowhere Band” was at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and has just been chosen for the Nice International Film Festival. The trailer for the short is on YouTube.
Deanna Foster
Los Angeles
Zombie “War of the Roses”
A Calendar Feedback letter-writer [April 20] wrote, “Incredibly, he believed the series [’Game of Thrones’] was based on actual events that had occurred in ancient Europe.”
Many “Game of Thrones” fans are aware that George R. R. Martin based much of the series on the bloody 15th century “War of the Roses” between two noble families, the Lancasters and Yorks, who fought for the throne of England. The War of the Roses was indeed replete with “Game of Thrones” style “mayhem and treachery.”
Peter Rich
Los Angeles
Don’t set up movies for a fall
Regarding film critic Justin Chang’s review of “Avengers: Endgame” [“Brace for Impact to the End,” April 25]: Next time you do a movie review of a major franchise, please choose a reviewer who likes the material.
It’s pointless to send someone who is predisposed to dismiss or denigrate a particular franchise. The resulting review gives readers no useful information about the experience and merely serves as a platform for the reviewer to make useless, snarky and superficial comments.
I doubt you’d send a hockey fanatic to a baseball game if you knew the person didn’t like baseball. Send someone who enjoys “Star Trek” to the “Star Trek” movies. Send someone who enjoys superheroes to superhero movies.
William Fisher
San Clemente
Flexible ‘Steel’
Regarding Margaret Gray’s review of “Steel Magnolias” [“Fine Southern Charm,” April 26]: What is this phrase that leads the final paragraph supposed to mean?
“The play’s obliviousness to the world beyond the white characters and its veneration for stereotypical gender roles might make ‘Steel Magnolias’ feel like a relic of its time to some.”
It’s “Steel Magnolias.” Remember the movie with Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine? This is the 1987 play on which it was based, set in a beauty parlor (in the South). It’s a play that is in rep all over the country, including a fine New York production and TV movie with all “non-white” actors playing those roles. It lends itself easily to color-blind, non-binary and gender-neutral casting.
Alex Hyde-White
Santa Monica
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