Vesta Tilly certainly lived a happy and successful life, with a happy marriage and no major tragedy to speak of. Unfortunately, that kind of life doesn't exactly make riveting entertainment. The most striking aspect of After the Ball is the way that the characters don't age at all from 1882 to 1916, but then suddenly get old very quickly. Pat Kirkwood gives a likeable performance as Tilly, but a young Laurence Harvey is miscast as her husband and manager.
Review of After the Ball
