Life — December 28, 1928 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Theatre Section Analysis This is a theatre review page from *Life* magazine's "The Theatre" section. The content critiques several Broadway plays opening that month, with particular focus on female characters and acting efficiency. The main satirical point targets how playwrights create "inefficient" female characters—women who are supposedly fine but receive excessive stage time and emotional focus. The reviews mock plays like "The Sacred Flame" and "The Perfect Alibi" for centering weak or irritating female roles, suggesting authors have made dismissing characterization choices. The accompanying small cartoons appear to illustrate theatrical absurdities (figures in exaggerated poses), though specific caricatures aren't clearly identifiable from the image alone. The tone is witty complaint about theatrical excess and poor dramatic construction in contemporary Broadway productions.