I have been following the recent news regarding the proposed Playa Vista development. Particularly interesting are the facts surrounding the environmental impact of the project, much of it reported via the “Letters to the Editor” in your paper from Marcia Hanscom, of the Wetlands Action Network. Having tried to familiarize myself with both sides of the issue, I have only one question — How could anyone, with even an iota of a conscience, choose to strip Playa del Rey of its vital wetland area, especially to build an office development and movie studio? Since each of the principals of Dreamworks have homes in Malibu, it is hopeful that they will each look at the larger picture and consider the environmental ramifications of such a development and decide on the relocation of this project to a suitable location. It would seem that it would be rather an easy task for Messrs. Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen, in league with their Wall Street associates, to just relocate their studio, as it is certainly not an easy task to relocate the essential wetland that took nature so long to create.

Katharine Sullivan

Gamblers phenomenous

As soon as the scrim rises on the “Runyonland” overture dance, the key to the success of Pepperdine’s production of “Guys and Dolls” quickly becomes apparent. The university’s theater department has men who can dance.

Add to that the voices, the delivery, the choreography and the remarkable performance energy of the troupe, all under the direction of Jon Engstrom, and, well, more I cannot wish you.

Out to a quick start are Christopher Rowe DeJoseph (as Nicely- Nicely Johnson), Matt Logan (Benny Southstreet) and Robert Vance (Rusty Charlie), singing “Fugue for Tinhorns” (“I got the horse right here . . . “) with delightful voices and the big bravado of the gambling set. If sequels had been de rigueur in the 1950s, Nicely-Nicely would have had his own show, and DeJoseph would be a sure bet in any current professional production.

As Sky, Matthew Patrick Quinn spends less time trying to look like a leading man and more time creating a dark, multifaceted man truly seeking a better life with a woman he seems to care about; he is towering and intense in “My Time of Day” and “Luck Be a Lady.”

As Nathan, Kevin Lee Fulker makes comedy look effortless, improvised and loaded with details, from Nathan’s botched business dealings to his intense pain under Adelaide’s spike heel.

As Adelaide, Anna Victoria Larson squeaks and belts some of the best lyrics in musical theater — and was unfortunately forced to rush some of their delivery.

Playing Sarah, Lisa Marie Dunn has a clear, innocent voice until Sky introduces her to a new “milkshake,” when she swings.

Guesting with the production as Arvide Abernathy, John Raitt makes wonderful use of his full voice; his “More I Cannot Wish You” gave warm, strong words of support to every daughter in the audience.

The talented supporting cast includes: Nathan Johnson as Harry the Horse, Evelyn V. Trester as General Cartwright, Bryan Powell as Big Jule, Benjamin Murrie as Lt. Brannigan, Angela Rasmussen as Agatha, Daniel Peretto as Calvin, Don Kidd as Angie, Bryan Powell as Joey Biltmore, Matt Ebeling as the Hot Box emcee, Monica M. Bromberg as Mimi, Joe Ashby as the maitre d’, Corey Greenan as a cafe waiter, Jeremy Lostetter as the drunk, and Chris Collins and Ben Porter as waiters.

The dancing gamblers, showgirls, mission workers and Cubans are: Megan Christman, David Coburn, Cari Costner, Brianna Fedele, Sara C. Foley, John Hill, Alfredo Jaro, Amita Joshi, April Madigan, David May, Chad Paige, Valerie Roche, Hilary Rushford and Tse Tse Young.

Engstrom’s choreography suits his dancers, particularly in the Havana scene and in the crap-game dance in which the men are strong, purposeful and inspired.

Costume designer Carol Ann Hack must have had fun designing suits for the “Guys,” using brightly colored stripes, plaids and combinations thereof. Adelaide, too, is saucily clad, and the magenta minks of the Hot Box girls are eye-openers.

Scenery Coordinator Kermit Heckert pulled out a charming Hot Box room and startling sewer scene. Lighting Designer David Barber kept every face lit under differing moods.

Under music director Thomas Osborn, the orchestra has a huge sound, sometimes overwhelming solo voices but moving neatly from tenderness to tumult.

A word of warning to the overly analytical theatergoer: Let go of the ’90s mind set and wish the ’50s couples a happy marriage.

“Guys and Dolls” continues Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University. Tickets are $15. Tel. 456-4522 or Ticketmaster.

Owed to Joy

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra played a concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall consisting of Beethoven’s last two symphonies. Under conductor Edo de Waart, the evening was huge, solid, disciplined and inspiring — in other words, Australian for Beethoven.

The orchestra’s sound is polished, clear and warm. De Waart reconfigured the seating, placing the cellos center stage, violins left and right. Whether the musical choice or the musicianship, the musicians were visibly impassioned, breathing and swaying as they played.

In the Symphony No. 8, Beethoven’s near-spoof of classical music, de Waart began briskly, leading to a loving second movement. The minuet was full, with appealing dynamics. The fourth movement managed to produce wonderful separation among the instruments while maintaining seamless ensemble work.

For the Symphony No. 9, Beethoven’s wish for the joys of a united humankind, de Waart included two merged choruses, the UCLA and Angeles chorales. De Waart kept the first movement forte without turning it into an assault, while using delicate articulation in the second movement. After a lingering adagio/andante, the musicians and the audience dove into the choral finale on Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.” There, de Waart brought out impassioned strings, triumphant winds and percussion playing more for accent than attention.

As featured vocal soloists, Christine Goerke offered a rich soprano voice and Stephen Powell an appealing bass-baritone, along with mezzo-soprano Mary Ann McCormack and tenor Thomas Studebaker.

As the concert was ending, a man tapped me on the shoulder. “Why don’t any of you ever mention the guy who wrote the music?” he asked. “Everyone is cheering for the conductor, for the orchestra. Nobody remembers Beethoven. Why don’t they hold up a picture of Beethoven. Look at them up there, bowing.”

So, Herr Beethoven, you apocryphally old grump, thank you for the glorious tributes to music, to humanity, to joy.

I must chide Marcia Hanscom for maligning Councilman Barovsky’s professional reputation by intimating that he might have a hidden agenda regarding wetlands delineation decisions in Malibu. She writes, “Imagine our surprise when, on the day of the council decision to hire Dr. Huffman, we learned that Malibu City Councilman Harry Barovsky is a senior vice president for Morgan Stanley — one of the Playa Vista development partners. Could this coincidence also be a factor in efforts to discredit Wetlands Action Network?” This is hogwash, and excuse me. Hanscom does WAN, herself and Malibu a disservice by making such without-basis-of-fact suggestions about prominent leaders in the community much less City Council members.

First, Dean Witter and Morgan Stanley merged only recently, so Dean Witter wasn’t even involved in the Playa Vista Project nor was Harry Barovsky. Second, after a merger, a new set of business cards is standard procedure. But a new name on a business card does not change the core of a man or his beliefs.

Hanscom is an activist who cares deeply about her cause. Barovsky ran for City Council, which proves that he’s an activist who cares deeply about Malibu. The fact that Morgan Stanley Dean Witter now appears on his letterhead does not negate 25-30 years of living in, caring for and contributing to the Malibu community, protecting its environment and its future through careful, slow growth decisions. She can criticize his votes that show a pro-development or anti-environmental stance. If there aren’t any or if she doesn’t know how he has voted, then she hasn’t done her homework and shouldn’t be sullying the waters of Barovsky’s professional or political reputation.

We have some very close friends in common, so I have mixed feelings when I say — the last paragraph of Hanscom’s letter was wrong. She writes “it never hurts to shine a little light on the subject” while intimating that Barovsky could be involved in a plot to discredit WAN. What about Hanscom? Could she be involved in a plot to discredit Barovsky? By engaging in deliberate but false innuendo, she has injured her own credibility and hurt the cause of wetlands preservation. Furthermore, she poisons Malibu by planting the seeds of distrust into an already paranoid political landscape.

Mona Loo

Thanksgiving is at the door again — time to thank the good people we met and time to be thankful for the luck we had.

I think about the many sudden and abrupt turns my life took. I left my native Europe, heading for the West Coast. After lots of adventures and bad times, I ended up living in Malibu. I think it is quite symbolic. Being a Naval Academy graduate and a Merchant Marine Officer, I had the chance to sail around the globe, visiting more than 100 cities in dozens of countries. Now, my ship is moored. Malibu is my last haven. Instead of storming against huge, dangerous rollers I enjoy the ocean through my windows and I breathe the breeze while I stay home. I still cannot entirely believe it. I worked very hard in order to get here and I had certain amount of luck, but I also came across some wonderful people. I would like to thank Mr. Jeff Barton from Coldwell Banker Point Dume Office, my real estate agent, for his efforts and for making it possible for me to own my little piece of Malibu. He did not spare his time on Easter Sunday, on Father’s Day and on Memorial Day Sunday, as well as on numerous other weekends, sometimes at midnight, in order to comply with my hectic schedule. One truly amazing person.

For years, while living on the west side, Malibu had been my urban antidote. I started coming there five years ago, when my father became terminally ill. Malibu has always had the magic ability to lift my spirits, even to alleviate my smog and stress induced headache. It never mattered how bad my day could have been; once I saw the ocean, driving down the California incline, all tension was gone. The Malibu magic had helped me through dark days and through tough times. It does not consist only of the mountains, the surf and the sky. The people who live here are the other ingredient. I’ve always admired the sincere attitude and the humble gratitude that Malibuites rich or modest are able to express.

People from nearby cities and adjacent counties were trying to prevent me from moving to Malibu, citing natural disasters, road closures and congested traffic. I had been told I did not belong in such an exclusive place. To all these people I would answer, using words from an interview with a prominent Malibu resident, published recently in this newspaper: “Once you’ve been up there, nothing else matters.”

Ian Popov

It is with mixed emotions that I am writing this letter to The Malibu Times. I would like to announce that I am leaving my post as the Children’s Librarian at the Malibu Library. My last working day will be Nov. 30. I have accepted a job as the Children’s Librarian in the Brentwood Library.

Accepting the job has been a very difficult decision for me because I have come to really love the Malibu community. In the year and a half that I have been here, the community has embraced me with a great deal of support, encouragement and devotion.

To the children of Malibu, which I have met through class visits, or as talented volunteers, or as all of my faithful library patrons who came for my weekly story times and after school programs, each one of you have touched my life in such a positive way. I will miss all of you very much.

I would also like to give special thanks to all of the people that helped make my job so much easier. Of course that includes the Community Library Manager, Sue Renyer. In the short time that we have worked together, she has shown me so much support. The Malibu community is so very lucky to have her here. Also to Elaine Adler, who trained me and to whom I owe a lot. She is a wonderful mentor and friend. And the rest of the staff at the library. You guys are the best! I know that I would not have been able to coordinate and plan all of the special events and programs without all of your help. Also, to the Friends of the Malibu Library who have been supportive in every way possible.

There are also certain members of the community that I would like to say thank you to. That includes Katie Spangle and the other members of the Sean Matthews Memorial Committee. All of you did such an outstanding job on coordinating and organizing the event. I have no doubt that this event will be one of the highlights of my career. Jane Smith is also someone who deserves special recognition. She is the driving force that coordinated all of Our Lady of Malibu’s class visits and school visits to the library. She is one terrific lady! And of course to Lee Iacovoni, the new after-school reading tutor. I have such high hopes for this program. I know it will be a huge success! And to those who helped me with all of my story times, including Gary and “Shiela” the Wonder Dog, Kathryn Wyre, Laura Rosenthal, Susie Duff, Fireman Don Van Doren and Firefighters from Station 88.

Finally, special special thanks to the media. All of you have been so great in covering all of my events. Thank you, Betty Bailey and Pam Linn from The Malibu Times; Anne Sobel and Frank Lamonea from Surfside. Also to Jeannette Scovill and Don Harmon from Falcon Cable and to the students at Pepperdine who have covered my programs.

Thank you all for helping to make my time here at Malibu one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life!

Michele Mednick, children’s librarian

Malibu Public Library

We had a little incident Saturday in the Malibu Colony Plaza Shopping Center. That’s where the Hughes/Ralphs/Krogers, or whatever-they-call-it-these-days market, is located.

That’s where The Malibu Bay Company, which owns the center, had set up a model of its proposed Civic Center Development, which they hope to build on the land across the street on what we all know as the “Chili Cook-Off” site. Lyn Konheim and Dave Reznick from the Malibu Bay Company were standing around the model answering questions when there was a sudden, unprovoked and dastardly attack on the model by Valerie Sklarevsky, a local Malibu activist. She dumped a 40-gallon bucket filled with “nutrient rich soil and water from the Egret Pond” directly onto the model. The descriptive terminology comes from Valerie’s own Letter to the Editor to explain her actions. The model, as far as I know, wasn’t doing anything particularly provocative at the time. Valerie describes what she did in her letter as a “symbolic nonviolent action.”

Unless Valerie has some deep-seated hatred of models of which I’m unaware, I can only assume that the symbolic protest she mentions refers to the proposed project on the Chili Cook-Off site, which she describes as “Malibu’s historical wetland floodplain.”

I must confess I have a little difficulty with that one because each year I dutifully attend the Chili Cook-Off and I can remember lots of people, lots of chili and lots of dust, but the one thing I can’t seem to remember is a wetland slopping around my ankles. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen someday after the tsunami recedes. Nevertheless, Valerie seriously cares about this vacant lot, and I’m sure her mind’s eye sees it filled with water and birds and homeless and whatever.

And Valerie really does care. Anyone who knows Valerie, and we all know Valerie, also knows that she is a very sweet soul who truly does care about everything; the people and the animals, the flora and the fauna, and just about everything on the face of the earth. She also worries, I’m sure, that we’re either running out of things like air, water, space and ozone or that we’re drowning in a surplus of things like garbage, carbon dioxide, greed and a list of other sins.

But if man is a caring animal, he’s also a thinking animal. We have our powers of reason to bring to bear on our lives and perhaps wonder whether some of these possibilities are not quite as immediate or as horrendous as some fear. My reasoning powers also make me wonder how it is that Marcia Hanscom from the Wetlands Action Network, who until recently was Councilwoman Carolyn Van Horn’s prime choice for a city of Malibu $25,000 wetlands delineation contract, just happened to be on the scene, at just the right moment. Our reporter later asked her that, and she said she had nothing to do with the attack on the model. Also on the scene were two male witnesses from the Earth Trust Foundation, a Malibu organization, whom Valerie told us she had brought along to bear witness. Strangely enough, I was told a photographer from a rival, but unnamed, newspaper arrived on the scene just after the attack. I know some of you may believe that’s just sour journalistic grapes, and it probably is, but next time I hope she sends us a press release before her spontaneous protest.

However, to Valerie’s credit, she refused to leave the scene, even though there were several bystanders who were absolutely incensed and were prepared to punch Valerie out. Ironically, it was Konheim who had to hold them off until the local gendarmerie arrived.

The sheriff tried to settle it, but Valerie refused to apologize and refused to pay for the damage. Even then, no one would arrest her, so Valerie and her confreres ultimately left, unarrested, much to her disappointment I suspect.

There is a moral to his story, and that is, this doesn’t seem a very thoughtful or civilized way to decide what we should do with our Civic Center. So I would ask Van Horn, who I know had nothing to do with this but still is held in high regard by some of our more vociferous activitists, to use her influence with them to perhaps lower the screech of the dialogue.

PS. My apology for the quality of the photo on the front page, but it came from a videotape that Valerie had ordered of the event. As I said, we’re asking for a little advance notice next time.

What’s so bad about a city all one color?

I have just returned from a trip to Israel that included a 10-day stay in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is of one color — a very pleasing and restful beige limestone. Citizens there respect the idea of one color — inspired by the fact that it is a Biblical city, they say. (Also, pragmatic to use a natural building material present everywhere there.)

Malibu will never “rate” as a Biblical site but the idea of muted earth tones for buildings here will help our eyes to rest first on the beauty of the mountains and interesting ridgelines before going to our less attractive structures.

The thought is to keep Malibu livable in every way.

Dorothy White