Kenneth Macgowan (1) (1888–1963)

Plays of thee 1920s tend to be more epic, larger, and much more concerned with social justice than plays of today. I know that last seems impossible, but this was during a period when people were concerned a great deal about economic disparity, and the plays tended to disparage the idea of capitalism, not like many of the much milder plays that work in the current theatre. In addition, the large casts make them read more like a novel, and writers did not shy away from elaborate sets that required frequent set changes. These plays are a reminder of what once was, and a good slice of history. The biggest problem is the tendency of the time to write dialect, making them much more difficult to read, especially the plays that had several different nationalities involved, or that included black characters, as the white authors of these plays made black accents exceptionally broad. Overall, an interesting read, though cringe-worthy in some of the casual sexism and racism.… (mer)