Matter of taste

Published on 13/12/2012 00:00

As the composer for the Lyceum’s production of Cinderella, I was surprised and disappointed at Joyce McMillan’s review (6 December). The Lyceum has always offered a quality alternative to traditional panto, which this year is a musical and features ten original songs.

The music is clearly not to her taste (“toe-curlingly dreadful”) however many, many people are delighted by the songs and would strongly disagree with her view that it is “sub-Sondheim show music” or that the whole production is “artistic failure”.

Ms McMillan has been a great supporter of Scottish artists in the recent fight against Creative Scotland, but the tone of this review isn’t constructive criticism – it’s destructive, nasty and damaging. Adopting this “Simon Cowell” approach may attract attention, but there is no opportunity for artists who are attacked in this way to defend our work.

Perhaps next time she takes such a negative view of a show, you could give the artists a chance to reply and even (and here’s a radical idea) ask some of the audience their opinion.

Alan Penman

Bellevue Gardens

Edinburgh