Life, 1909-09-30 · page 15 of 32
Life — September 30, 1909 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine discusses theatrical adaptations, primarily reviewing "The Awakening of Helena Richie," a stage play based on a Mrs. Deland novel. The left poster advertises Israel Zangwill's "The Melting Pot"—a famous play about Jewish immigration to America. The main satirical point concerns **ticket speculation**. The article argues that despite the city's Board of Aldermen passing legislation against ticket scalpers, the problem persists because theater managers without ethics collude with sidewalk speculators to artificially inflate prices. The famous line: "a speculator on the sidewalk means a crooked manager inside." The cartoon itself appears to be a proposed poster design for playwrights, likely mocking theatrical promotion methods of the era. The page also includes a theater guide listing current productions and their locations, typical of *Life's* coverage of New York City culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE> done so many such plays are disappointing to the previously enlightened spectator. In fact many dramatizers seem to assume this familiarity to the bewilderment of the very large number of theatregoers who are not also book-readers. In the present instance Charlotte Thompson has avoided this error, and the play tells a connected and moving story with characters which are, if not exact reproductions of those drawn by Mrs. Deland, thoroughly cred- ible, human, and yet endowed with dramatic qualities. The play is well worth seeing, whether one has or has not read the work on which it is founded. @ oOo 8 @ Recent occurrences make reasonable a con- jecture as to what has become of all that val- uable legislation our noble Board of Aldermen cooked up last season to d the ticket speculators. It might be supposed that the large number of play-houses now in operation al with would deprive the speculator of his oportuni- ties and perhaps it does interfere with the profits of the speculator at large. But the in- creased competition makes it the necessary for the manager without a conscience more MELTING POT PROPOSED POSTERS FOR PLAYWRIGHTS, to make his customers pay the utmost possible dollar for their seats. Which seems to make it necessary for Lire to state once more that: A speculotor on the sidewalk means a crooked manager inside. Metcalfe. The piece is well mounted, the parlor of Helena’s house in Old Chester show- ing the same fidelity to completeness and accuracy of detail that has won so much praise for some of Mr. Belasco’s produc- tions, Miss Anglin’s gowns of the period of 1860 were faithful to that era of ugly dressing, and went to demonstrate the gown can’t unmake the woman, if she Academy of Musie—Repertory of operas sung in Italian by Italian artists at popular has sufficient attractiveness to start with. The Awakening of Helena Richie’ is interesting, and has the human quali- ties which make it a play and not a dis- cussion of a current topic in politics or For which let us be thankful. economics. Pm aD wen Y way of variety, “Helena” is described without ref- erence to the book from which it is taken, and in fact without a previous reading of that largely sold publication. Which raises the question of whether in reviewing a play based on a book, it is better first to have read the book or not. It would seem as though a play ought to be judged on its merits simply as a play. The dramatic version cannot possibly give all that the book pictures to the mind of the reader, and that is why that outside of gratifying the curiosity to see how it is prices. Astor—* The Man from Home" co to show in a phenomenal run the infer of European chivalry to that of America Belasco— 1s Matrimony a Fa er fun with life in the suburbs from the German by Mr. Ditrichstein —" The by Clev. Adapted ‘Thompson y Midnight Sons." The cleverest of the summer musical shows still holding its stage. Cosinc—" The Girl and the Wizard.” tice later. Comedi—Pretty, new theatre with “ The Melting Pot.” Mer. Zangwill’s dramatic ser mon on what America means to the Jewish people . . Criterion—" The Noble Spaniard," Mr. Robert Edeson. "Notice later. Dalv's—Viola Mien ina dramatization of the late Marion Crawford's “ The White Sis. ter.” Notice later. pire—Mr. John Drew in“ Inconstant George,” adapted by Miss Gladys Unger. Notice ‘later. Garrick—" Detective Sparkes,” with Hattie Williams as the star. Comedy-farce only moderate! a Queen." Mr. No- with 8. Hackett—" Such a Little Channing Pollock's pleasant fantastic comedy with Elsie Ferguson's delightful acting. Herald Square—" The Rose of Algeria.” Notice later. MISS MARGARET ANGLIN IN “THE AWAK- ENING OF HELENA RICHIE”? Hippodrome-—Oxtdoing all forts in the way of circus, tacle Hudson—* The Filkins in the its former ef- allet - American Widow." le part of Grace an amusing but Detective Interest: Lupin.” ed from the Fre Lyrie—" The Chocolate Soldier.”* amusing and musical comic and performed Majestic—" The P Hughes's serio-comedy question and with Mr the star. hattan Opera House—Preliminary eda- cational season of grand onera arine Elliott's—" The Blue Mouse.” One ast season's funny but questionable farces. wakening of Helena Really Mr. with the labor Guy Bates Post as Stuy Eugene Walter's “Th Easiest Way.” Clever and much discuss drama of the Tenderloin. Not for th ng. Wallack's—Mr. George Broadhurst’s " The Dollar Mark.” Int play of the money and corporation question in American life. Weber's—" The Climax.” The tender little musical play which wins every one’s heart. comicbooks.com