Theater: Pop Parody

The Beauty Part, by S. J. Perelman. People used to listen to a Beethoven symphony without trying to identify with the composer. But in the age of do-it-yourself culture, everyman is his own self-discovered, self-expressing genius, though the self being expressed is frequently about as artistic as a defective drain. This is the play Humorist S. J. Perelman apparently began to write, and there are hints of it still ("Every housewife in the country has a novel under her apron"). Followed through, this might have led him to a bitingly comic examination of a serious question: Are democracy and culture...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!