Judge, 1922-12-16 · page 16 of 36
Judge — December 16, 1922 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page covers George Kelly's play satirizing community theater's vanity. The plot follows Paula Ritter (Mary Boland), a woman delusional about her acting talent who eagerly accepts a lead role in a charity performance. Though her friends flatter her as a "Bernhardt" (comparing her to famous actress Sarah Bernhardt), the play mocks her overwrought emotionalism and self-importance. The satire targets the gap between amateur performers' self-perception and reality—Paula genuinely believes she's a great actress despite being mediocre. Her husband wisely intervenes to prevent her humiliation. The supporting cast includes a dowager directress (Alison Skipworth) and prompter (Helen Lowell), typical figures in amateur productions. The joke: pretentious amateurs mistake community theater for legitimate art.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mary Boland as the emotionest actress of them all. In this satire by George Kelly, Paula Ritter, who just feels that she is a wonderful, emotional actress overlooked by Op- portunity, is called to fill the vacated slippers of the leading lady in an amateur perform- ance for a “Wor- thy Charity.” Alison Skipworth as the dowager directress. Helen Lowell as the occa- sional prompt- ress. The Charity, how- ever, is easily more worthy than the performance; and although Paula is acclaimed a Bernhardt by her friends, her hus- band is wise enough to inter- vene and save her from a very, very unhappy future.