Life, 1921-02-10 · page 27 of 42
Life — February 10, 1921 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine features a "Confidential Guide" to Broadway theater productions, reviewing current plays with satirical commentary. The main cartoon shows three caricatured figures in exaggerated poses—likely representing theatrical types or stereotypes of theatergoers. The reviews mock various productions with sharp wit. For example, *Eltinge* is criticized as a grammar school boy's naive idea of Turkish baths; *The Skin Game* is praised for depicting class warfare on an English estate; and *Mary Rose* is dismissed as sentimental Barrie-ite material. The satire targets both the plays themselves and audiences' tastes. References to actors like Lionel Atwill, William Faversham, and George M. Cohan were contemporary celebrities. The underlying joke is that Broadway offers predictable formulas—old-fashioned crook plays, domestic melodramas, and romance plots—recycled endlessly for gullible audiences.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
209 Arthur iF CONFIDENTIAL a 9 Eltinge.—" Ladies’ Night grammar- U my £ ool boy’s idea of what goes on in a a Pench Turkish bath. (This may draw a_ justified 4 protest from the Association of Grammar : School Boys.) . 9 to the time it takes to print Lire ways of two young men with a maid, practi- Fo tghth Street. — “The Broken rs should verify from the daily news- cally identical with the ways of the less Wing.” An airplane crashes into a Mexi ipers the continuance of the attractions at manageable animals in the Bronx zoo. Lots can dwelling and the young. p suifers tres mentioned, of color. from amnesia. Given one native girl, you Morosco.— The Bat.” A great deal of ™#y finish the play for yourself apleadid crime. wlton—* Enter | Madame.” A’ prima Belasco.—" Deburau.” Poetic drama deal- _ Playhouse.—-""Thy Name Is Woman,” donna in her home, delightfully portraye ing with Parisian theatrical life and the Domestic stabbing in Northern Spain, In '™@ Welbwynten comenty. iin a5 career of a famous pantomimist. Remark- this corner, Mary Nash. In this corner soley lpia ty, writing some g diffe: every week about this three- ably produced, with Lionel Atwill in the José Ruben slow dterent Se. Tie se et aoe leading r6le.. Ninth Street—* Samson and De Henry Miller. —" Wake nathan mont.—* Miss Lulu Bett.” A real ploy til: - powerfully _portr by. -aiie’ Moke coisinally wasted ee ot people, so real that it borders on i, assisted by ine Lord. he Latte Blair Packer school: he first time on any stage. N al.) The Meanest Man in the Bijou—" The Skin Game.” Galsworthy's Times Square-—"The Mirage.” One of World’ A rapid-fire business comedy, cor interesting presentation of what happens those dramas which not even Florerice Reed ventional but - amusing. mabe gee mi : nouve: a Greek. an can make anything but old stuff Little. “ First Year.’ Highly enter: English estate as the scene of undignified eo acts 01 Ameri: class warfar s Comedy and Things Like That pure, of stacis of Amer Rooth—" The Green Goddess.” George {pollo.— The Prince and the Pauper.” Longa “The Champion.” Thorough Arliss in a de luxe melodrama, with all the William Faversham ina pleasant and sight- merican comedy showing how silly old tricks made unexpectedly exciting. ly production of Mark Twain's romantic Englishmen are. Grant Mitchell makes + Century— In the Night Watch.” To be tale as inoffensive as possible and the public will reviewed next week Astor—“ Cornered.” A combination of — make it a succe Empire-—" Mary Rose.” Distinctly a play the old-fashioned crook play and the ok Lyceum, The Gold Diggers.” Ina for sentimental Barrie-ites who expect to fashioned psychic drama, made fresh by the Claire in a comedy of chorus-girl life, now nd don't care who sees them, It has presence of Madge Kennedy. in its second year thing to do with spiritualism, but its rge M. Cohan.—" The Tavern.” Nora Bayes.—"* Three Live Ghosts.” The cannot be explained. gloriously mad burlesque of all t amusing adventures of three unexpected The Woman of Bronze.” lines ever uttered on the stage. war veterans, . Margaret Anglin in an intensely emotional Cohan and Harris.—" Welcome Stranger.” _, Playhouse —" The New Morality.” Grace part making a conventional triangle drama Race prejudice and small-town business, George in a series of special matinees. To exceptionally worth while. An interesting but fairly cheap play, well be reviewed next week . . Garrick.— Heartbreak House." Shaw's acted. Plymouth, —* Little Old New_York Cee ee eee eae ees delightialiy Comedy-— The Rad Man.” A Mexican Mashattan as it was in 1810 when Delmon presented. Special Matinees.—" John Haw- invasion of the United States, consisting of 12 Sold sandwiches. A pleasant little pl thorne.” Reviewed in this issue. Holbrook Blinn as a gentlemanly bandit With a prize fight in the engine house as a ich Village—" Near Santa Bar- armed with satire and a gun. To be reviewed next week. Cort.—" Transplanting Jean.” Extremely Maxine Elliott's—* Spanish Love." The French comedy of manners, engagingly More or Less Serious hand Judy.—* Rollo's Wild 0: Young in a delicately enterta a young man who would play Republic.—* Dear Me.” Reviewed in this issue. Eye and Ear Entertainment Casino.—" Honeydew.” Good singing an ‘lancing to music by Efrem Zimbalist that’s all, but it is enough Central—* Afgar.” A young French wo man named Delysia showing Americans how to say their own questionable lines with the least possible offense. Poiret did the gowns, such as they a Globe. ‘4 Fred Stone in a highly agree: ertainment for the bene fit of those who make it worth an agent's while to get seats for them. Hippodre Good Times.” Your money's worth if you ever got it anywhere Knickerbocker, —" Mary. Lively, tune ful and clean, Liberty —* 1 * Mitzi in a play with a real t 2 ome nice mu de IRVING lighting all Mitzi fans. TM BEEBE Lyric ener Family ate An elabor ate production, some of it funny, some POMOR rather dull, with Nora Bayes as the star. New Amsterdam,—* Sally.” Marilynn Miller and Leon Errol in a show containing everything you want, includ 1 good laughs. k.—* Erminie.” A revival of the old time hit, bringing Francis Wilson and De Wolf Hopper with it in a blaze of glory Better than most modern shows. Shubert. —“ Greenwich Village Follies e excellent f ures, beautifully staged, with a little comedy now and then, chiefly from Savoy and Brennan. Vanderbilt —* Irene.” Breaking all ree ords for length of run and tunefulne : Winter Garden.—" The Passing Show of DELYSIA IN “ AFGAR. 1921." Worth seeing for the ballet alone. comicbooks.com