I’ve seen more revivals of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” than episodes of “Friends.” I am a devoted student of Shakespeare, whose plays are spread over five long acts. Plays without intermissions may be gaining in popularity, but the convention of two acts separated by 15-minutes of lobby dithering is still deeply entrenched. The stretching out of plays by intermissions might make sense for producers worried about the sales revenue of overpriced food and drink. But the practice is a holdout from an era when people had discrete work hours, less harried commutes and minds that were free of Facebook, Twitter and email nudges. This discussion, it should be noted, has been happening since the dawn of the modern theater.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 07, 2017 12:00 UTC