Rooting for a local effort

I’M sorry Don Shirley was unable to enjoy Culture Clash’s “Chavez Ravine” as much as I did (“No Runs, a Few Hits, No Real Errors: a Sketchy ‘Ravine,’ ” June 2). But are his qualms about its failure to fit the “proper” structure of a play enough to dismiss this energetic and often hilarious production?

Culture Clash combines elements of commedia, sketch comedy and classic dramatic narrative to create a montage of a recent past that now seems buried in the hills of Chavez Ravine. Rather than coming to a neat conclusion or judgment, the production manages to teach without preaching while still making us laugh.

Who cares if it’s “only” for Angelenos? We should be treasuring such specificity, not condemning that. Especially when the result is a heckuva lot more entertaining than most Dodgers games!

Kevin Berntson

Hollywood

“CHAVEZ Ravine” strategically uses the voices of more than 50 characters to present the audience with a multidimensional perspective of this community’s history. Such tactics have been employed very successfully by Anna Deveare Smith, Suzan-Lori Parks and other major but not mainstream U.S. playwrights. Instead of criticizing the ways in which Culture Clash constructed this narrative, we should commend the members of Culture Clash and Eileen Galindo for their amazing ability to transform themselves into so many believable and vastly different characters.

Ashley Lucas

La Jolla