Editor,
Regarding the recently published review of "The All Night Strut," I am very much a believer that each person who attends a show has the right to form her own opinion of it. I also realize that as much as I would like it to happen, not every person will simply love every show presented by Musical Theatre Southwest. And this certainly holds true for the publicly shared opinions of the few reviewers in Albuquerque.
Negative statements, even in a positive review, are always cause for chagrin, but it's part of the experience of presenting musicals and asking people to pay to come see them. Musical Theatre Southwest is a community theater, relying on the talents and dedication of volunteer performers. In the review of "Strut," several performers were particularly viciously attacked.
I believe even if a performance is deemed to be of inferior quality this does not give a reviewer leave to personally attack a performer. Although volunteers, most of the people in "All Night Strut" have had years of training in voice and dance. It shows a tremendous lack of respect to demean them so, and frankly, the compliments paid to other cast members are diminished by the insults heaped on their friends.
I also can't help but wonder at the obvious scorn for some of the great music in the show. Hits that have been American favorites for 6 decades are not even mentioned, such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Minnie the Moocher," "In the Mood" and "Fascinatin' Rhythm." Failure to mention these kinds of songs gives the reader no idea what sort of music the reviewer is so bored with. And the "incredibly boring" radio shows referred to are Burns and Allen and Jack Benny. Playing three to five minutes of those shows to start each act establishes a time, and like the songs themselves, are wonderful memories to folks who remember an era before television.
Finally, the reviewer describes the songs in the World War II medley as all sounding alike. Really? I don't hear much similarity between "Praise the Lord" and "Pass the Ammunition" and "The White Cliffs of Dover," or between "GI Jive" and "I'll Be Seeing You."
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I appreciate the efforts of the Daily Lobo to provide reviews to its readers of local productions. It is a potentially valuable service. And when Musical Theatre Southwest has been poorly reviewed before, I have never written. However, when feelings - not just egos, which can always stand a bruising - but real feelings are devastated, I cannot but state that I feel the reviewer has no business reviewing community theater.
Reuben Murray
Executive director of Musical Theatre Southwest
