“BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE”

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 117, 11 February 1919, Page 6

“BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE”

THE RETURN OP POTASH AND .- PERLMUTTER. "Business Before Pleasure," a comedy in three acts, by Montague Glass. Cast: Abe Potash James It. Waters Mawruss Perlmutter Nick Adams Hosie Potash Maggie Moore Mrs. Perlmutter Elsie Menzies Keith Macdonald Georgo Edwards Miss Cohen Helen M. Adams Kobert Blanchard Charleß Stanford Sam Pemberton Tal Ordell Lionel lirandon Edmund Sherras Victor Curzou Frank Hawihoruo Ralph Neville David Drayton Rita'Sisniondi Rosie Parkes Mr. Fcder William Lockhart Three years ago the playgoing public fell in love with that quaint, amusing, and big-hearted couple. Potash and Penmutter. They were stragglers in ' the clothing business then, and their comical ! sayings and original verbal'fuiueroles kept ■ns all laughing. They were clean-cut comedy characters from a now sphere of life. Last evening the same people came back to us in "Business Before Pleasure." Here the firm of Potash and Perlmutter forsakes suits for moving picture films and exchanges the model of the shop for the "vampire" of the photoplay. Hore and there one may detect the sound of the wheels going round, but on the wholo "Business Beforo Pleasure" is a capital laughing medium, and tho adventures of the two down-Easters are extremely entertaining. The. invention of Montague Glass (tho author)' may bo said to have struck a greasy trail,, for-'in whatever role these characters may be placed there | should be food for laughter. Tho play begins with tho partners gloating over I the'first film they had turned out J in I this the Potash family appear in the i interests of Hebraic economy. As these ! good folk are entirely inexperienced, the ! picturo is a failure, and it looks as i though the money borrowed from the banks, through the offices of Kobert Blanchard (ils vice-president) has "gone clown the sluice." But their smart young producer, Sam Pemberton, speaks out, and tells them that if they invest money in securing a real live "vampire" actress there will be fortunes in' the game. So, following his lead, tho pair engage Rii-a Sisniondi, who is certainly an alluring type of the scarlet woman. Hhe is so fascinating that dear old Rosie Potash becomes violently jealous of her, and Mawruss Perlmutter, too, is suspected by his wife of being too friendly with tho (inn's latest employee. A great film is almost completed at the time when both wives are worked up to a fever heat of jealousy. Blanchard, enamoured of Rita, continues to advance- tho bank's monev, unknown to the president, solely to ingratiate himself with Rita.. When it becomes known to the partners that his purposes are tho reverse of honourable, Abo denounces him to his face as a loafer. Blanchard becomes violent, and attacks Abe, but is stunned by a blow from Mawruss. Fearing: that the results may be serious, Abo induces Mawruss to Ity, and he does so—to the Ivanhoe Inn, j -where the final scene, in the fortune-mak-j ing film is to be taken. I The wives ar- ! rive on the scene in time to hear Blanchard denounce their husbands, and fearing that their men have been playing them false they ascertain where Mawruss and Rita have fled to, and pursue them. Abe passes them on the road to warn Minvniss of the advancing peril, but meet';, with an accident and is carried into tho fntei fill hotel. Meanwhile Rita, to protect ; Abe, has instructed the operators to allow j no one to enter, and when tho wives nrj rive nil they see is the operators at work ias though on a picture. Blanchard,' j fuAous at being unable to get inside the j hotel, sets fire' to tho building, and instead of Rita bringing a dummy out of : the flames (as arranged for the -purposes of the pictured she brings forth tho totj tering Abe- The outlook for Abe and i Mawruss, as far as their domestic hapi piness in concerned, is black indeed, but ijßiin turns out trumps, confounds the j villainous Blanchard, and ultimately ; finds the additional capita) needed for tho j picture, which makes everyone's fortune, i The company is only fairly adequate | to the demands made upon them. , Mr. 1 I ins, R. Waters is an able comedian, glib ■of tongue, and fertile in expression. His ; I Abe Potash is qnilo a sound nerformnnce, i and there are no laughs in tho part that in' does not get; Mr. Nick Adams, as Mawruss, has a coarso raucous voice, hard i | vis nails in Us texturo, and though he i l works strenuously enough, does not get . j the effect always that his partner' does. 1 j Still, flic conlvast between the two is interesting, and they nlay up to each other like workmen.' Miss Rosie Parkes figures attractively as Rita Sisniondi, and dresses the partv flambuoynnlly, but scarcely realises the subtleties in tone and expression that exist in her imi portaut role. Miss Maggie Moore is ex- . celleut. as Rosie Potash, and her comedy spirit is only limited by the restrictions \ of tho role. Mrs. Pilsi'o Maiwios looked ; well as Mrs.'Porlnmttcr, but it was with | difficulty one could hear the lines spoken • by Miss Helen Adams as Miss Cohen (the i firm's stenographer). Mr. Chns., Stanford was out of tho picture as Blanchard. , Other parts of ininor consequence were ' well played by Messrs. Prank Hawthorne, \ Edmund Sherras, Win. Lockhart, and i George Edwards, t "Business Before Pleasure" will bo played throughout tho week.