Dear Jenny,

I thought that Free Press reviewers had enough Fringe experience to be able to, in a constructive way, be critical of a show. It looks as if Randall King didn’t get the memo. His review of La La Luna Sea (Free Press July 21, 2023) characterizes the show as SFAF (Strictly Friends and Family) and then applauds the fact that there are enough members in the cast to make the show successful on this basis. If he is trying to be clever, or worse yet to be funny, he isn’t. His review is not constructive, it is demoralizing. He knows the kind of impact this review will have on the performers and the show generally, and he should be ashamed of himself.

Michelle Cook

La La Luna Sea

All About Theatre—John Hirsch Mainstage

I often sit in the back row because I want an panorama of the entire stage, especially at a large venue like MTC Mainstage. Most of the time, it gives me a great view but there are times when I’m at a disadvantage, like today. I could not hear any of the actors’ voices and from the start, I was lost. Often, there are one or two cast members with weaker vocals I have trouble catching, but for the first 20 minutes, I could not hear any of them.

Just before the halfway point, they all found their stage voices, which made the outing perceptible. The title is apt, as there is a load of lunacy, a wad of wackiness and a flittering of fun. It’s not all touchdowns as some of the witticisms were fumbles but generally, it was a cute outing.

Perhaps it was first show jitters but if you’re taking in this show, I would sit near the front, just in case.

Ray Yuen