The Tempest Over Shakespeare Festival

I was astonished and dismayed by your article on Raymond Littrell, Garden Grove city councilman, who finds the Grove Shakespeare Festival “too highbrow for his taste.” (“Grove Theatre’s Supporting Cast: Enter the Philistines,” May 31, by Jan Herman.)

It is sad that he gives his community so little credit for being able to appreciate quality theater. I am not a Shakespeare fan and not a resident of Garden Grove, but last year I was so thoroughly impressed and entertained by the Grove Theatre’s production of “Julius Caesar” that this year I now have season tickets for the Shakespeare series.

I appreciate the opportunity the Grove Theatre provides to broaden my cultural horizons, and I would expect that a city councilman with any intelligence, foresight or pride in his community would support this theatrical endeavor. I can assure Mr. Littrell that the Shakespeare Festival can indeed be popular and is certainly a boon to Garden Grove, even if he is too small-minded to appreciate it.

I hope that the Garden Grove City Council approves the Grove Theatre’s request for its annual subsidy; then, while Mr. Littrell and his lowbrow friends are enjoying the million-dollar extravaganzas at the Crystal Cathedral, we “highbrows” from as far away as Mission Viejo can enjoy quality theater in Garden Grove.

FRANCES SEGAL

Mission Viejo