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Letters to the Editor: ‘Working Girl,’ the musical, is more than a ‘crude knockoff’

A group of women stand behind a woman sitting at a desk on a stage.
Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, center, with the cast of La Jolla Playhouse’s world premiere of the musical “Working Girl.”
(Rich Soublet II)
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To the editor: As a producer in the creative space and a working woman myself, I attended “Working Girl” at La Jolla Playhouse with my family. We had a blast.

Theater critic Charles McNulty’s review missed crucial context: The musical is still a work in progress (“‘Working Girl,’ the musical, is a crude knockoff of ‘80s music and style (and the original movie),” Nov. 19). There was a talk-back following the performance providing insight into the production’s development, but this wasn’t mentioned in the review.

Beyond that, I found McNulty’s assessment puzzling. Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer was diabolical as Katharine, hilarious and villainous at once. Joanna “JoJo” Levesque brought real gumption to Tess, with beautiful, strong vocals.

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The choreography was thoughtful. Rather than acrobatic numbers, the cast danced their butts off, like working women.

Regardless, the cast and crew, largely women, put on a show worth celebrating. They deserved better than a review that reduced their work to a “crude knockoff of ‘80s music and style.”

Natalia Wrobel, San Diego

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