Broadway book quote

Critic Brooks Atkinson put it best in his book, Broadway, in discussing the "happy world of stars" from about 1904 to 1924:
"It was an actor's theater because, on the one hand, no one took the drama seriously and, on the other hand, some very interesting actors with broad styles and vivid personalities dominated the stage. Plays were not inquiries into the nature of life or the discussion of ideas but vehicles designed to present the stars triumphantly."