MATINEE TOMORROW

A random record of fifty years of the American theatre from 1898 to 1948, by the drama critic of the New York Sun and the biographer of George M. Cohan, etc. This is neither a straightforward history, nor is it purely reminiscence, but a cross between the two. And there's a mass of information, on playwriters, producers and actors, the rise and fall of various personalities and a coverage of all the plays of these fifty years. The total effect is one of trying to cover too much and the result is a slight smattering of everything. There will be some audience for this among followers of the theater -- but not too wide a one.