A ‘Daughter’ of Joy

I found Daniel Cariaga’s review terribly offensive and petty (“Opera Pacific Finds Little Joy in ‘Regiment,’ ” April 8). I suppose I was a fool to join the entire audience at the end of “Daughter of the Regiment” in a standing ovation that continued unabated for a long time.

I suppose I was taken in by mediocrity when I laughed at the appropriate moments and sighed with pleasure at the beautiful voices of the leads, John Osborn and Lynette Tapia, as they easily reached the high notes demanded by Donizetti’s score. I suppose I should rather have been disturbed by the fact, as Cariaga so nastily pointed out, that they both were so short they had to stand on stage prop furniture for much of the performance.

The world would be a lesser place without such productions but would be a much better one without Cariaga’s mean-spirited criticism.

ROBERT M. JONES, Rancho Cucamonga