Critical Vacuum

Michael Phillips’ assessment of the La Jolla Playhouse production is a bit off the mark (“Money Talks; It May Not Sing,” Nov. 25). “Dracula” is lush, elegant, campy, poignant and, at times, over the top--all the elements of musical theater that have been delighting audiences for generations.

At the performance I attended, the audience appeared mesmerized by Tom Hewitt’s performance as Dracula. The standing ovation he and the cast received at the end was well-deserved. While not a perfect production (some of the motives need more development, plot points need clarification), it would appear there is plenty of time for Des McAnuff and others to make the necessary changes for this lavish production’s fall opening on Broadway.

Critics can suck the life out of potentially great productions, but the audiences can’t help being seduced by this vampire.

LARRY ZEIGER

San Diego

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Regarding composer Frank Wildhorn, Phillips’ Perspective reads more like a personal vendetta than a theater critic’s observation about a new musical. I understand from people who saw “Dracula” at La Jolla Playhouse that the show is not necessarily Wildhorn’s strongest work--at least in its present form.

But I do think that Phillips’ description of the only American composer of our generation to land three original works on Broadway at the same time as “an accomplished hack” is a tad severe. Wildhorn’s compositions have great appeal to a new audience of theatergoers. Whether it’s his “Someone Like You” from “Jekyll & Hyde” or “When I Look at You” from “The Scarlet Pimpernel” or “I Never Knew His Name” from “The Civil War,” Wildhorn has displayed an uncanny gift for melody and mood, and thus his songs have become the standards of our time.

I look forward to many more evenings of escapism that his artistry provides.

STEVEN KOLLER

Beverly Hills