Life, 1916-06-22 · page 18 of 48
Life — June 22, 1916 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the tedious social ritual of attending Broadway theater in early 20th-century urban society. The chaotic, grotesque illustration depicts a tangled mass of human figures—representing the various tedious stages of a theater outing. The accompanying text humorously catalogs every mundane or uncomfortable moment: rushed dinner preparations, uncomfortable travel, sitting near drunk patrons, awkward conversation attempts, enduring a play you've "unwillingly seen five times," and the social obligation to pretend you enjoyed it afterward. The satire targets upper-middle-class social conventions—the pressure to attend theater as a fashionable activity despite genuine disinterest, the uncomfortable proximity to other theatergoers, and the performative politeness required throughout. References like "Eddie Foy" (a contemporary vaudeville star) and "The Midnight Frolic" (a nightclub) date this to the 1910s Broadway era. The joke: going to the theater isn't entertainment—it's an exhausting social performance worse than the actual play.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Theatre Party HE hurried-through dinner, The dash for the house. The arrival. The entrance. The seven deadly bores. The mock greetings The long wait for Miss —. The odd men, The decision to go. The trick "bus. The climb on top. The bitter cold The beginning to rain. The wet clothes. The arrival at the theatre. The groan. The you have unwillingly seen five times. The confused entrance. The wrong seats The final adjustment. The end of the first act The look around. The drunken friend in front The intoxicated welcome. The attempt at conversation on your right The utter failure. The attempt on your left. The impossible. g 4 & 3 > & 6 2 2 E 5 = The perusal of the programme. What the man will not wear The return of the drunk. The sigh of envy The second act. The Broadway idea of humor. The joke about Eddie Foy. The military song. The chorus men The very low comedian The desire to sleep. The end of the second act. The impossible intermission. The repeated failure at conversa- tion. Sunk! The third act. The destruction of the programme. The hand through the hair. The mad desire to escape. The end of the performance. The sigh of relief. The filing out. The lie about enjoying it. The suggestion about supper. The disappearance in the crowd The Midnight Frolic. comicbooks.com