Audiences, Be Quiet!

Is there anywhere in the world where coughing ruins concerts as frequently and thoroughly as at the Music Center? Is it the bad L.A. air or what?

The audience at the June 22 performance of “Tosca” was extraordinarily rude in the frequency and volume of its convulsing, lung-wrenching barkings that destroyed many sensitive moments in the performance. Were I one of the performers on stage, I would have given serious thought to calling a halt to the proceedings and asking the crowd to take a minute and get it out of its system.

Someone should instruct fledgling concert-goers that it is polite (and healthier for those in the area) to discreetly cough into a handkerchief. Ahem!

J.S. KLEINSASSER

Bakersfield

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If your child does not sit still and/or quietly for a minimum of three hours at a stretch, he/she is not yet ready to attend live theater. Live theater is not a movie--the images do not flash quickly on to the next vivid image. It moves slowly and, even in the good seats, the characters on stage seem small.

Live theater is not television, enjoyed in the privacy of your home where young children can move, talk, eat and leave the room at will. Live theater is not a videotape that can be stopped when children have lost interest.

Live theater, even “The Lion King,” is a serious endeavor, presented by serious actors for a serious audience, who paid serious money to attend. There are plays and theater experiences that cater to young children. These are good places for them to learn to enjoy theater, places where they are surrounded by their peers and their tolerant parents.

JEANIE FRITZSCHE

Tustin