Equitable Credit

I was pleased to see Michael Szymanski’s feature article (Valley View, Oct. 26) titled “Singing an Equity Tune.” I was producer of the original production of “Broadway Sings Out!” at the Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society in June, 1990, and am delighted that Ray Malvani’s work is now the first Valley show, at the West End Playhouse, to reach Actors Equity status.

However, I do need to set the record straight. I do not believe that Szymanski’s story gives adequate credit to Ray Malvani’s input.

He did not merely “compile a list of satirical tunes” but rather, after four years of extensive research into a century of Broadway musicals, pruned these to a manageable 63 songs from 52 shows, grouped them into seven themes, wrote connecting dialogue, and devised a wealth of production ideas including projections, song pairings, lyrics in six languages, and non-traditional casting--all of which contribute to the show’s success.

Certainly Ed Gaynes and Pamela Hall deserve full credit for their recognition of the show’s potential for commercial theater. At the same time, Ray Malvani’s artistic role should not be relegated to merely a qualifying phrase.

BARBARA ATLAS

Granada Hills