In Stoppard’s ‘The Hard Problem,’ the problem shouldn’t be so hard

Raising consciousness

Regarding “Gray Matter, Bright Ideas” [Oct. 23]. The review of Tom Stoppard’s play “The Hard Problem” included this: “The profound question being debated here — is consciousness no more than brain tissue….” While consciousness is certainly an interesting and not fully understood phenomenon, it hardly rises to something requiring mysticism as Stoppard seems to imply. Perhaps his quote “I don’t think I’ve ever spent half an hour in my life doing research” is most telling. If he had, the hard problem would have been better informed and less “hard.”

Dan Stern

Manhattan Beach

‘Rocky Horror’ a real delight

I am glad I ignored Meredith Blake’s review of the Fox remake of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” [“Stuck in a Time Warp,” Oct. 20]. I found it to be a delight. Different from the original of course but this adaptation measured up. I loved the performance by the talented Laverne Cox, who was mesmerizing. This was a much appreciated break from the “2016 Election Horror Show.”

Judy Price

Valley Glen

Off-notes add up over Dudamel

Mark Swed’s love affair with Gustavo Dudamel is becoming embarrassing [“Mahler Is the Life of This Party,” Oct. 22]. Swed manages to make even mistakes sound praiseworthy: “There was a missed entrance or two, a broken note once in a great while. But perfection would have ruined it.”

Swed declares that Dudamel made the “greatest elegy in all of symphonic literature” into a joyous symphony of swells that “never sounded like an elegy.” It was, instead, an effusive ode to life. What? If I wanted “Ode to Joy,” I’d have attended a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth, not Mahler’s Ninth.

Teresa DeCrescenzo

Studio City

Dylan goes his own way as usual

Regarding [“Quick Takes: From Dylan, No Fuss Over Nobel,” Oct. 23]. While the announcement of the award of the Nobel Prize in literature to Bob Dylan took many in the field of literature by surprise, Dylan showed, at least in public or privately for that matter, no sign of acknowledgment. Dylan has been a recluse and leads a life where he answers to no one.

Kasi Gabbita

Rancho Cucamonga

Wonder Woman can’t be stopped

Your article noting that Wonder Woman will have a formal United Nations role encouraging the empowerment of women and girls [“Heroic Female Icon’s New Gig,” Oct. 16] brought a smile to my face.

My joy was short-lived, however, on learning that some U.N. staff members recently objected to this designation.

David Tulanian

Los Angeles

One solution for order in court

Regarding “One Debate He’ll Never Forget” [Oct. 21]. One item that continually surfaced in the three presidential debates has been the appointment of an associate justice of the Supreme Court (which is supposed to be nonpartisan).

If the Republican majority in the Senate is concerned who President Hillary Clinton might appoint, why don’t they do their job and vote to approve President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland?

Karla H. Edwards

Santa Clarita

Desert Trip is all about the music

The stories got it wrong. You focused on the corporate aspect of the Desert Trip. The accommodations, the food and drink, the pricing, traffic, the political commentary. What Desert Trip was about was the music. These rock icons have left an indelible imprint on all of our lives. The broad age range that attended was for a reason.

These bands are classic, timeless and have always had a social relevance that stretches beyond politics and the culture of the day. The fact they still perform to this level of perfection and their songs continue to be relevant should be honored and we should all take note. These bands are the epitome of what music is — a force that reminds us that the human/music connection is something that connects us all and transcends the mundane.

Dorrit Ragosine

Los Angeles

Hard to enjoy this violent hero

After reading Kenneth Turan’s review [“‘Accountant’ Tallies Up the Thrills,” Oct. 14], I went to see the movie. I cannot fathom why he calls the hero “enjoyable.” His actions are violent and bloody and the movie is so full of killings that one could lose count in two minutes. As for a sequel, I will be the first not to see it.

Janet Wortman

Marina del Rey

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