Life — November 23, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Follies in the Making" This page depicts theatrical production, likely from a Broadway revue or musical comedy of the early 20th century. The illustrations show various stages of show business: performers in formal wear socializing at top, dancers in increasingly revealing costumes in the middle, and at bottom, what appears to be backstage or rehearsal scenes with musicians, directors, and performers. The satire targets the spectacle and artifice of theatrical "follies"—elaborate musical productions known for scantily-clad dancers. The progression from fully-clothed social scenes to minimally-dressed performers comments on the gap between public respectability and the actual content of these shows. The title suggests these entertainments were considered somewhat frivolous or morally questionable by contemporary satirists.