Calendar Letters: ‘Midnight’ conversations

First, let me make clear that I admire Oliver Stone as a brilliant, creative artist. At the same time I must respond to his recent letter [Calendar Letters, July 30] here where he focuses on the fact that I never revealed to him that I had previously made three hash smuggling runs from Istanbul to New York. It was 1975, at the height of the War on Drugs, and my admission of said trips constituted major felonies, so I was advised by my lawyer that I could not speak or write about them in my book. Oliver delivered a great script, which won an Academy Award, and Alan Parker made a great film. Where I have always taken issue with his script is a courtroom speech that has me spewing a hate-filled diatribe against Turkey and its people, when I actually said that all I could do was forgive them. So let us all accept our share of credit or blame for a film that is still stirring conversation 40 years later.

Billy Hayes

Las Vegas

‘Mamma Mia,’ here we go again

It’s rare to read a review of a musical, in this case “Mamma Mia,” that indicts the audience [“Proud to Be Dancing Queen,” Mary McNamara, July 31]. I am grateful, not peeved, when people at the Bowl do not stand up and dance at their seats as Ms. McNamara chided the audience for not doing. There ought to be a separate dancing section, because I want to see the action on the stage, not the back of the concertgoer in front of me.

Randy Farhi

Los Angeles

The performance Mary McNamara reviewed was not a “singalong.” There is no greater waste of money than to pay to hear music and song at the Bowl and put up with people next to you singing their own rendition.

Michael Miller

Los Angeles

Saying thanks to Sam Shepard

Charles McNulty’s insightful eulogy of Sam Shepard [“A Cool Streak: The Cowboy Playwright Rewrote the Rules of the Stage,” Aug. 1] brought back many heartfelt memories of Sam’s early work in New York. As a now 71-year-old playwright, I am a card-carrying member of the burgeoning 1960s off-off-Broadway movement. Sam, along with my friend Lanford Wilson, was one of my heroes. Although we were never close friends, we were part of the same community and we often read each other’s scripts. In fact, it was Sam who encouraged me to submit my absurdist play “Howie’s” to Circle Repertory despite its, at the time, controversial theme of how capitalism drains our creative spirit. Circle accepted the play, which led to a long and productive relationship with the theater company. I am just one of countless writers whom he inspired. He will always be a shining light in the American theater and will be deeply missed.

Richard A. Steel

Los Angeles

‘Giselle’ didn’t move viewer

Re “A Tutu Triumph for La Scala: Misty Copeland Will Star in Italian troupe’s Production of ‘Giselle,’ at Segerstrom, But for Only One Night” [Laura Bleiberg, July 23]: I saw the performance at Segerstrom with Roberto Bolle and Misty Copeland. I came away slightly disappointed — perhaps the word “anticlimatic” fits better. The stars are at the juncture where they can do anything (or nothing) and receive an ovation. However, I remain happy to have seen them together.

Linda Vaisa

Huntington Beach

‘Atomic Blonde’ creates mayhem

Re “Can’t Beat This for Thrills: Charlize Theron Lands Every Punch as an ‘80s-Style Superspy, Murky Plot Aside” [Justin Chang, July 28]: “Atomic Blonde” could have been called “Mayhem Momma.” After a while, we started counting the number of explosions, stabbings, gunshots, deaths by beating, strangulations and mixed martial arts exhibitions, and discussed walking out on the film. It was a terrific production, but who cared or could keep track of the number of double- and triple-dealing bad guys or tolerate the incessant craziness? Ms. Theron played her part of a killing machine very well, and she’s nice to look at. Maybe next film she’ll return to a realm of reality.

Hal Rothberg

Calabasas

Give credit where it’s due

Re “Chagall’s Stage Work” [Liesl Bradner, July 23]: In today’s art world where major museums are confronted with serious issues of Nazi-confiscated art or Greek and Mayan looted art falling into their collections, it’s unconscionable that a scholarly museum like LACMA doesn’t at least mention the Hopi origins of Chagall’s costumes for “Firebird” in its latest exhibition.

Carol Sevilla

Santa Monica