Sizing Up Swed

Re “Romance Flickers but Rarely Flares in This ‘La Boheme’ ” (Dec. 1): Mark Swed’s comments about the body sizes of the people who sing opera in Southern California have progressed over the years from quirky to ridiculous. He snidely observes that Leontina Vaduva’s Mimi makes a “surprisingly robust consumptive” (i.e., she’s big, and that’s not appropriate). However, Aquiles Machado makes a “teddy bear of a Bohemian” (i.e., he’s big, and that’s very cute.)

It’s possible that some people have died of tuberculosis without becoming emaciated in the process. It’s also likely that Rodolfo, a guy who has to burn up his furniture for heat, does not have a big food budget and should be lean. If Swed cannot refrain from applying a double standard, perhaps he could just concentrate on reviewing the singing and acting abilities of the performers, without reference to the size or shape of their bodies. It would be a nice change.

DIANE ST. JOHN

Mission Viejo