POTASH & PERLMUTTER'

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2631, 29 November 1915, Page 7

POTASH & PERLMUTTER'

GOOD COMEDY ON NEW LINES "Potash and Porlmuttor," a comedy in three acts, written by Charles Klein, oil t'he ba"sis of a series of stories written by Mr. Montague Glass. Produced by J, C. Williamson, Ltd. Cast:— Boris Andrieff Lowis Willoughby Miss Cohen Nancy Winter Sydney Gresham Hurlo Tliis Impatient One Victor Tatnall Abo Potash Paul Buriw Mawrnss Perlmutter Sam Le Bert Miss- Lovin Gretna Bretelle Mozart Rabiner E. L. Delaney Henry D. Foldham John De Lacy Ruth Goldman 'Margarot Vinton Marks Pasinsky Samuel Howard Miss Nelson Gwen Weston Miss O'Bnen- df?.. Rosalind Smeaton Fedoral Officer Lawrence Hardinge Mrs. Potash Lizzie' Wilson Irma- Potash Sylvia Bremer My6terious One Charles Lawrence Henry Steuermann Edwin Lester Senator Murphy Carleton StuartKatie Gladys Tardy

To all who would enjoy two hours of laughter from healthy impulses, the new comedy "Potash and Perlniytter" is highly commended. The comedy, which has an American origin, found a place on the stage in muoli the eame manner as "Get-Kich-Quick AYallingford," inasmuch as both had their gonesis iu a run of newspaper stories in lighter vein, dealing humorously with phases of business life. Mr. Montague Glass turned his attention to that quaint world of down-town New York, which is peopled by| Hebrew clothiers in a wholesale way, tho majority of whom still apeak with the accents of their individual fatherlands—Germany, Poland, Hungary, and I{u6sia—but whose hard struggle for existence has made them keen business people and never-stop workers in the country of their adoption. Abe Potash and Morris, Perlfliutter are two types of the class referred to. Tbcy have a thriving business, hut for a timo thei cogs of ifcwheeds do not run smoothly, and that is where the comedy catches theni. Montague Glass's stories are just a string of episodes, illustrating everyday happenings iu the lives of the two partners, but "Charles Klein has given the play the requisite touch of humanity by providing a story—a thread of sentiment to hold the amusing squabbles and snarlings'of the two central figures, together. It is not surprising that the story is somewhat lame and unconvining, whilst the episodical qualities of the play cause' the greatest merriment. The plot ooncerns the efforts of the firm to help their bookkeejwr, Boris Andrieff, O political refugee from Russia, who is arrested undei an extradition order. In going bail for him (though ho has only been in their employ a few days), the firm stand to lose everything, but even such a' jmsintes tragedy . does not divert the flow of comedy. .There is a reason why-. Andrieff should be protected. lie -is engaged to be married to Miss Potash, a daughter of the firm, so to speak, and his affairs are therefore made the sentimental pivot of the play. Abe, when he learns how his daughter's affections lie, and convinced that Andrieff has not got a dog's chance of getting free, urges him to quit for Canada, unknown to Perlmutter. The consternation that follows the knowledge that the Russian has "skipped his bail" is one of the fine moments of the play. Perlmutter storms and raves until he has crushed tl\e spirit out of poor Abe", and. then the great' heart that is in botli of them heals the breach,' ' for though they abuse and 1 insult one another fifty times a day, they really love one another arid show it! in a thousand ways. Abe is distressed because not only has lie. ruined the business by ; Boris to,ski]},,but ho.has mortgaged' his Hosie's house without her knowledge, and his wife is even more upset because she has also 'mortgaged the property to pay her. bridge debts.. Chaos and ruin stare the partners in the face, when there comes great news from Washington by telephone to the effect that a 'cablegram has been received from Petrograd exculpating Boris from the charge that hangs over his head; and' immediately afterwards Boris himself arrives, having heard from the papers what a fix his departure had put the firm in, so the end is peace and twittering laughter—always laughter. The incidents are, however, much more entertaining than the halting story. There could be nothing funnier than the bookseller episode, file partners are awaiting the arrival of Steuermann, tho millionaire,, when 'a stranger of distinguished bearing enters, and is received with a show of obsequious adulation. Potash vies with Perlniutt-er in proffering him cigars, and the scene proceeds till'the stranger opens a bag and produces a book he wishes to sell. Then the two partners get busy in quite another way. The next caller is really the Tich philanthropist, and the doubt with which he is received is one of the drollest moments in the play. Another absorbing incident is where the "crook" lawyer, and, real-estater, Feldman, discloses himself as a walking delegate and nails a strike of Potash and Perimutter's employees as lie stands to lose 500 dollars' commission by not letting new premises to the firm. A thoroughlv delightful scone is that, too, where Rosio shows her jealousy of Abe's new lady designer, and' is shown the true position by > "Mawruss." Altogothor the comedy is consistently and spontaneously amusing. The dialogue, with its jagsaw grammar- and cryptic philosophy, pever fails to entertain for one moment, and through it all there is a fine heart interest, a quality the American writers for the stage never neglect. The company is an extremely capable one. Abe Potash, as limned 'by. Mr. Paul Burns, stands out as a notably line bit of character worj; in the pure. Whilst Abe is very comical iu person, expression, and talk, he is always tho character, and never descends to- score by vaudevillian methods. His broken accent, and peculiarly Yiddish tone inflections, were part of a perfect performance. He struck a fine pathetic note in the third act, when as misfortune cuts him to pieces he is boaten to earth, all on account of his heart being bigger tlian his head. Mr. Sam Le Bert played Perlmiitter on stra-ightor lines, with more acid and vim, and when necessary he showed, as in tho big scene with Feldman, that he has the necessary "punch" for tense dramatic work. The love scenes between "Mawruss" and Ruth Goldman were rather casual in their frigidity. Mr. Lewis AYilloughby played Boris on quiet artistic lines, refrained from using an accent, and looked the young man of culture. "'Mr. John de Lacy as Feldman was not the quiot strong man of the book, and was not meant to be by the dramatist, who just makes him a common "take-down" lawyer, played on loud blustering lines. Mr. Samuel Howard was a bright spot as, Pasinslty, and Mr. E. L. Delaiioy was aggressively offensive as the "fourflush" salesman llabiner. A performance of rare merit was that of Miss Lizzie Wilson as Mts. Potash. IJer tone and poise wero convincingly Semitic and her excellent sense of comedy enabled her to make every point toll. Miss Margaret Vinton as Ruth Goldman is fair and tall in person, and rathor cold and superior in manner. She never attempted to/'get" the Jowess into her work, but -was just a nice refined English girl of distinctly Gentile mien and manners. Miss Sylvia Bremer as Miss Irma,'Potash was gaspy and affected in speech, though good to look upon. Ono of the shocks of the evening came .when Irma confessed her passion for Boris. Up till that moment "Oimer" had never given tho audience an inkling as to her feelings. Miss Naney Winter was capital as the Hebraic typist, and Miss Rosalind Smeaten made n, chiming mmM"Potash ittd Perlawtter" is" capitally