To the Editor:
Re “Piles of Broadway Memories,” by Maya Phillips (Critic’s Notebook, Jan. 19):
When I read this essay and saw all the Playbills in the photo, I thought, That’s me!
I still have all the Playbills from the many shows I’ve seen starting from when I was 13 years old. (I am now 83.) They are in a lot of boxes stored in my basement, and some are on display. (My son is a professional actor, so of course I have the Playbills from his Broadway shows more visible.)
Years ago a friend of mine was moving from her home, and I visited to wish her good luck, and there they were: boxes of Playbills that she was going to “get rid of.” What was she thinking?
I went into a frenzy and took all of them home with me! It’s a good thing I have a large basement!
Ruth L. Krugman
Avon, Conn.
To the Editor:
My collection of Playbills makes me sad, too, but it’s not just nostalgia. Maya Phillips is quite right that there are “many other things to mourn at the moment,” among them, the economic consequences of darkened theaters, and not only for out-of-work actors, dancers, musicians and their critics.
There are also the playwrights and directors, set and costume designers, wardrobe crew and makeup artists, stage managers and house managers, concession and custodial staff and so many more. Not to mention owners and employees of theater district bars and restaurants.
New York theater provides cultural enrichment, of course, but also jobs.
Martha Hodes
New York
Good Riddance to the Keystone XL Pipeline
To the Editor:
Re “Rejoining Paris Accord Tops Moves on Climate” (news article, Jan. 21):
I am delighted that President Biden has canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. Delighted, and relieved. It would have encouraged, even made possible, the continued exploitation of the tar sands, which climate experts agree would be disastrous.
Yes, I live in Canada. But I also live on Planet Earth.
Elizabeth Block
Toronto