As an ex-instructor of production techniques working for some 30 years with BBC Television, may I make the strongest protest against Mike Howard's remarks about The Gingerbread Lady (The Argus, July 13).

The play is certainly one of the wittiest and most entertaining ever written, with a New York background and the cast at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, in my opinion, were certainly not third rate.

On the contrary, Jonathon Guy Lewis's performance as Jimmy was, in my opinion, very good as was Miranda Foster's Toby.

I may have liked Lesley Joseph more in other productions but I think she conveyed the character well.

Mr Howard cheated the Brighton audiences out of seeing one of Neil Simon's finest plays and was downright rude.

-John Griffiths, Worthing