After Magritte

Too bad Anna Deavere Smith (“The Tangle Over Twilight,” by Sean Mitchell, June 12) didn’t just paint a picture of a pipe and write under it, “This is not a pipe.” There’s a precedent for that.

Would the Pulitzer Prize jury or the Tony nominating committee have been enlightened if, during Smith’s entire performance, there was a sign overhead reading, “This is not real life”?

If Man Ray can exhibit found art or John Cage can string together gathered sounds, why is Smith seen as so out of the norm because she uses material garnered from interviews?

Just as the painter and the composer spend time deciding what found objects or sounds to use to elicit a desired response from the viewer or audience, so did Smith edit hours of tapes and present what was left just so, to give the audience a particular set of emotions, to help viewers understand what she and those interviewed felt about a certain subject or event.

In his commentary, Mitchell made good arguments and gave several examples that show that what Smith has done is just the next step from what has gone before in the theater, rather than some grand departure.

MATEF HARMACHIS

Riverside

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I was so excited after reading Mitchell’s commentary. I mean, if all it takes to get nominated for a Tony is transcribing interviews, my new show is a shoe-in for best play next year.

I’ve interviewed more than 200 audience members coming out of a theater in Los Angeles. Their fear of not being politically correct has left them unable to distinguish theater from “Hard Copy.” My impersonations are nothing more than bad caricatures, but hey, so were Anna Deavere Smith’s, and she got nominated for best actress.

I’m still up in the air as far as the title goes. It’s between “8 p.m., Mark Taper Forum, 1993” or “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” See you at the Tonys!

TARA KARSIAN

Los Angeles

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Regarding “Slipping Tony a Mickey?” by Patrick Pacheco (June 12):

Stephen Sondheim is a genius with lyrics, but his choice of subject matter often fails to connect with the audience.

I would much rather pay to see a revival of “Carousel” or “She Loves Me” than any recent Sondheim show I’ve seen. Both of these shows were on the “artistic cutting edge” when originally produced, but they also could connect with the audience.

Broadway producers need to encourage new composers with fresh ideas that do connect to come back to theater. Suggestion: Alan Menken.

KATHLEEN McCALLUM

Huntington Beach