Life, 1898-03-03 · page 12 of 20
Life — March 3, 1898 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page discusses theatrical productions, specifically praising "A Normandy Wedding" with music by William Furst. The text critiques theater audiences, noting that fewer than 400 people in America constitute the "Upper Ten Thousand" (wealthy elite) who traditionally patronize theater, yet this small class dominates the arts. The two cartoon panels titled "An Oriental Cinch" (credited to Cesare) depict a comedic scene of someone being pulled up exterior stairs by what appears to be an octopus or sea creature—likely satirizing the plot or absurdist humor of the musical being reviewed. The photograph below labeled "The Tied Is Out" shows a man in winter conditions, possibly illustrating another theatrical scene or dramatic moment referenced in the text.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ALLS Just the Thing for Those Who Like It. BR YRE the late Ward MeAllister corralled 400 persons to be an American aristocracy, there used to exist a class known as the Upper Ten Thousand, to distinguish them from the lower ten million, The numerals and capitals are here used advisedly, as indicating the principal distinction which each class can claim to day, Unfortunately, we can make no such exact division of theatre- It see though there were fewer than four hundred people interested in real stage art, fewer than ten thousand who know a good thing on the stage when they see it, and considerably more than ten million who are ready to patronize any attraction which is sufticiently tawdry or notorious. “THE TIED 18 oT." AN ORIENTAL CINCH. stolen almost bodily from more talented composers, but the lar- ceny is committed with good judgment in the way of tunefulness, so it is likely to please a large part of the public, As some one has cleverly said, it is strange that such a young man should write such old music. The adapters, Messrs. Goodwin and Byrne, have not lifted enough plot from the original authors to burden even the most unintelligent mind, The humorous dialogue they have doubtless supplied from their own resources, It shows a knowledge of Tenderloin slang and current peculiar stories which would do credit to that Mr, Gross whose fame rests on his well- known “Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.” It must not be taken from these statements that the piece is unattractive. Given a fair orchestra, burlesque actors not too far below the usual standard, costumes, scenery, lights, and,