Judge, 1916-05-06 · page 8 of 28
Judge — May 6, 1916 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous dialogue between two Jewish immigrant characters debating the merits of the Russian Ballet at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Max Markowitz (a skirt manufacturer) complains the ballet is scandalous—dancers wear insufficient clothing, requiring police enforcement of modesty. He mocks the incomprehensible Russian names and suggests theater should stick to familiar fare like *Carmen*. Henry Shapiro (a bookkeeper) enthusiastically defends the ballet's artistry, describing the visual spectacle, music, and emotional impact. He attended from the cheapest seats but found it transcendent. The satire targets both characters: Markowitz's provincial prudishness and resistance to highbrow culture; Henry's pretentious enthusiasm despite his working-class perspective. The Yiddish-inflected English ("notting," "mit," "schpiel") marks them as immigrants, while the debate reflects early 20th-century tension between traditional entertainment and modernist art forms among urban Jewish audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
keeper and brother-in-law, as they were ving the lunch-room one Saturday aft- ernoon. “Minnie told me that Mrs. Harris told her, what has a husband a lawyer and a boya loafer, that for a whole month they had notting but dancing in the Metropolitan instead of playing Car men or Geraldina.”” “And what if they got dancing?” asked Henry. “The dancing by the ca barets is like the dancingin the Metropoli- tan, like Matilda, your cook’s singing is to Melba’s! A fine example you make; Ballette and Ragtime! One is silk, the other is you compare the Tango to Sch—sch—e-——" terrupted Markowitz impatiently. continued Henry. “I can’t! Some of them names by the Russian Ballet are like garments with a whole lot buttonholes, but no buttons. There's notting to fasten your tongue on. It f just like it was skating; and every time it catches on to something, it slips and breaks a syllable. You can’t speak them names, Max, you can only write them on a typewriter. But like Shakespeare says ‘What’s in a name?’ Notting! But I never had such a good time like when I went to see the Metropolitan.” “Did you have a good seat?” inquired Markowitz. “A good seat?” repeated Henry. “I had something better, good feet! The seat I got was on the top floor from where I could see fine the chandelier, the ceiling, one side of highbrows up-stairs and low necks downstairs; but the stage? I could see the stage so much like you can see your left car! So I went in a corner, right in the front. and stood up the whole night.”” “Stand up a whole night to see dancing!” exclaimed Markowitz. “L wouldn’t stand up a whole night even if I can see a fifty-times millionaire dance mit Emma Goldmar “You!” cried Henry. “All you sce a whole night is aces and trumps and a hundred and fifty! But if you would go to the Metro. politan, you would see something wonderful. What colors! music! What dancing! I tell you, Max, it was a an opera for the ears and champanier for the feeling: Bakst is a great designer. Nobody said a woid, but everything saying something. Their feet talked, their fiddles eried and their colors laughed!” “It must have been a regular Purim Schpiel,”” commented Russian the A HEART-TO-HEART TALK MARKOWITZ AND HENRY They Discuss Russian Ballets and Musical Comedies By LOU RAR 66 A IN’T THERE a limit to that dancing business? It ain't Markowitz. ‘But Mrs. Harris told Minnie that her husband told enough that they make a cabaret from every home. They her that it was a shame such a respectable house like the Metropol. make a tango-parlor from the Metropolitan Opera House!” ex- — itan gives a show where the police got to make them put on silk claimed Max Markowitz, the skirt manu- _ stockings.” facturer, to Henry Shapiro, his book- “Yes, Max,” remarked Henry philosophi ilk stockings, like my night school teacher said, cover a multitude of sins; but not by the ballets, Ballets ain’t sins, they’re beautiful! How can what's beautiful be sins? Believe me, Max, them people what get a shock when they see beautiful pictur nd actors and ballets without full dress suits in public, is notting like the shock the public would get if they see them people without suits in private. Next time you get a chance, go and see the Russian Ballet.” “Next year, maybe.” remarked Markowitz, “but not to-day “Well, anyway, I'm mighty glad 1 don’t live in Venice, where they ve got to do this sort o” thing all the time!” comicbooks.com