Life, 1923-05-31 · page 21 of 37
Life — May 31, 1923 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a **theater guide and review section** for Broadway shows and musical revues, not a political cartoon. It lists current and upcoming theatrical attractions with brief critical assessments. The image shows a **conductor leading an orchestra in a theater pit**, illustrating the live musical accompaniment essential to 1920s theater. The caption's joke—"Why not utilize the conductor's energy to generate electricity?"—is a lighthearted suggestion that the conductor's vigorous movements could theoretically power the theater, a humorous commentary on the conductor's animated style. The text reviews shows ranging from serious drama (*Rain*, *Romeo and Juliet*) to comedies and musicals (*Bombo* with Al Jolson, *Sally*, *Ziegfeld Follies*). Several shows are noted as "to be reviewed next week," indicating this is a current-season guide. The tone is casual and consumer-focused, helping readers decide what entertainment to pursue—typical of Life's satirical but accessible approach to contemporary culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TRGREP OC Owing to the time it takes to print Lire, readers should veri “BOX OFFICE y from the daily newspapers the continuance of the attractions at the theatres mentioned. More or Less Serious The Adding Machine. Comedy—How it feels to be a bookkeeper, both alive and dead, shown in the vivid modern manner. Worth The Cat and the Canary. National—A haunted house, with seven creeps to the thiopian Art Theatre. be iewed next week. The Fool. Times Square—Showing how might hzve met a few modern prob- if He had had theatrical train For Value. Received. Longacre—Men- 1 in this issue. ; Moscow Art Theatre. Fifty-Ninth St.— week of Russia’s impressive emissaries. Rain. | Maxine Elliott’s—Jeanne Eagels levastating and splendid drama of sin ts high wages. Romeo and Juliet, Henry Miller’s—The + successful of Shakespearean ventures eason, thanks largely to Jane Cowl and Peters. enth Heaven. Booth—Containing a scene” for Helen Menken and some risian touches. Uptown West. Bijou—The em from a new angle. The Wasp. _Scluyn—The author of Last Warning” shows that he can’t s do it. Whispering Wires. Broadhurst—The murder. mystery which opened the season and which isn’t solved yet. Frazee—To Japanese Comedy and Things Like That Republic—See prize Abie’s Irish Rose. | on opposite page. . Aren't We All? Gaicty—To be reviewed t week. ld Feet. Fulton—To be reviewed Comedian. Belasco—Lionel Atwill g the part of an actor as only an actor il’'s Disciple. Garrick—One act and Roland Young which is worth crest of it. The Enchanted Cottage. Rit: a flight into fancy which here in spite of hi Give and Take. Fort) Tement, solution of the labor problem Harris—Winner of The actors should get Mary the 3rd. Thirty-Ninth | St.—Mild harmless propaganda for a freer mar- arrangement. Merton of the Movies. Cort—An ap- ing comedy with Glenn Hunter as the hful hero. The — Mountebank. um—Medium- dramatization of Locke's novel, with an Trevor as the juggling. general. Not So Fast. Morosco—To be reviewed next week The Oid Soak. Plymouth—Old_ stuff with a new character from the pen of Don Marquis. Polly Preferred. Little—Entertaining if you don’t ask much “in the way of solid worth, So This Is London! _Hudson—Showing how bad Americans and Englishmen can be when they get together. Sweet Nell of Old Drury. Forty: To be reviewed next wee You and Tr Belmont—Smart play-writ- ing, well acted, Zander the Great. Empire—Alice Brady in the best play she has had yet. ighth Eye and Ear Entertainment Adrienne. George M. Cohan’s—To be re- viewed later. Bombo, Winter Garden—Al Jolson back for a few weeks. Caroline, Ambassador—Pleasant | music. Clinging Vine. — Knickerbocker— Peggy Wood in'a good. sho Dew Drop Inn. Astor—To be reviewed next week. The Gingham Girl. |Central—Harmless, Go. — Daly's—Speedy and generally How Come? Apollo—The current Negro Why not utilize attraction. Not quite up to standard. Jack and Jill. Globe—Lew Fields in an elaborate entertainment. Little Nellie Kelly. Liberty—A lot of dancing. Music Box Revue. show for big money. Sally, Irene and Mary. — Century— Nothing seems to interfere with this. Up She Goes. Playhouse—And nice, too. Wildflower. to at all cost: Ziegfeld Foilies. fresh after a year. Music Box—A big very Casino—Something to listen New Amsterdam—Still the conductor’s energy to generate electri comicbooks.com