Life, 1916-11-16 · page 5 of 46
Life — November 16, 1916 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article satirizes theater-party etiquette among the upper classes. The text mocks how wealthy patrons attend plays more for social display than genuine interest—arriving late, talking loudly, disturbing others, and leaving early. The bottom cartoon illustrates a specific annoyance: well-dressed theater-goers discussing trivial matters (coffee, marriage) during the performance, oblivious to the show. The caption—"The coffee, mum, an' don't mind me, mum. Shure give's in a bride three times mesself"—appears to capture overheard fragments of inane conversation. The satire targets the pretentious social ritual of theater-going among the wealthy, where attendance functioned as status display rather than cultural appreciation. This reflects early 20th-century criticism of upper-class behavior and priorities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THEATRE party is a group com- posed of two types of peopl those who have seen the play an ab- surd number of times and those who would give anything not to see it. The performance selected is usually a musical comedy. This has come to mean nowadays an entertainment hav- ing no music and which is not comic. The chief characteristics of a the- atre party are two suffering chaperons, one of either sex, a number of young ladies who constantly interrupt the dialogue of the play, and an equal number of young men, some of whom read the programmes, yawn or sleep, while others flirt with the chorus. When attending a musical show it is modish to keep time with the orchestra by tapping smartly the back of the seat in front of you. Frequently many of the party have seen the per- formance before and know the music fairly well. It is de rigueur in this case to join in the choruses of the various songs and effectually drown -the voices of the actors. On arriving at the theatre with a good-sized party it is comme il faut to converse loudly as you wend your way down the aisle. On reaching your seat it is 6 la mode to trample on the feet of those who have been old-fashioned enough to arrive on time. During the intermission of a popular play it is rather effective to indicate certain individuals as various political celebrities. Perfect safety is assured a8ino one will know the difference. When sitting in the first row-it is “The Play’s the Thing” in vogue to comment on the personal peculiarities of the orchestra and to ridicule their musical efforts. Between the acts it is highly amusing to project pellets, made of the programmes, at them, If possible, always obtain an. aisle seat when with a party. You have only one person to listen to, and, on the pretext of procuring programmes, may effect a graceful exit. When the entire party is without Programmes do not summon an usher “THE COFFEE, MUM, AN’ DON'T MIND ME, MUM. to fetch some. It is aw fait to borrow one from the stranger in front of you. After having read it aloud to the others much amusement may be af- forded by tearing it into curious shapes, making puzzles, ete. Frequently the woman in front of you will allow her coat to dangle over the seat bacl Don't let this annoy you. You will find it a most con- venient receptacle for cigar stumps, cigarette ashes, etc. SHURE O1'VE BIN A BRIDE THREE TIMES MESELF comicbooks.com