The Disney Version

Charles Hirschhorn’s citing the enormous numbers the recent TV remake of “Cinderella” garnered as proof of Disney’s dedication to “high-quality musical entertainment” gave the whole argument away (Letters, July 11).

Two years ago, I was one of the 50 million-plus who tuned in, and as a sometime musical theater professional and longtime Rodgers & Hammerstein devotee, I was appalled. In place of Richard Rodgers’ specific and sophisticated melodies and harmonies and Oscar Hammerstein II’s deliberately timeless fairy-tale libretto and Broadway-cum-television construction, one was subjected to watered-down chord changes, pointless interpolations, self-serving rewritten lyrics, ‘90s-style R&B; back-beats and a cast whose legitimate Broadway performers took second place and worse to two pop divas.

No wonder the British are making monkeys out of us with their brilliant revivals of our classic shows: Richard Eyre’s reinvention of “Carousel” and Trevor Nunn’s reassessment of “Oklahoma!,” to name but two. And now Disney is moving into grand opera deconstruction with Elton John’s update of “Aida” to look forward to. Can “Carmen” with Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez be far behind? Horrifying.

DAVID C. NICHOLS

Los Angeles