Our Stage and Its Critics / By "E.F.S." of "The Westminster Gazette"

A collection of essays examines the relationship between dramatic critics, theatre practitioners, and audiences, surveying critics' qualifications, duties, habitual phrases, and tendencies toward intolerance or jadedness. It analyzes types of plays — from pseudo-historical, supernatural, and anecdotal pieces to didactic dramas and social-reform works — and considers how purpose and sentiment affect reception. Practical aspects of performance receive attention, including make-up, gesture, scenery, costume, stage dancing, music, and the small rituals of the playhouse such as matinées and audience behaviour. The volume also discusses moral questions, financial pressures, star culture, advertising, and recurring disputes between managers and reviewers.