New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-22

By HAYWOOD BROUN.


ABE and Mawruss" is & good show.
Il seems hardly necessary 10 say that,
for every one who saw Potash and
Perlmutter" knows the entertaining
qualities guaranteed by the presence
Of those two characters in any produc-
ton.
Fortunately, ABE and Mawruss" is
also play worthy of the most friendly
consideration. Possibly it is a better
show than play, but the qualities OF
successful entertainment as distin-
| guished from successful drama are so
much a question of personality and
other elusive factors that it is useless
TO try and shut them into type. We
purpose, therefore, TO deal with the
play by Montague Glass and Roi Coo
per Megrue as serious effort 70 in
terpret an interesting phase Of Ameri
can life In terms of drama.
To our mind II is better play than
potash and Perlmutter." abe and
Mawruss" contains an interesting story
logically developed. In fact, Acts
and deserve the attention of all or
CARNATIONS in which the technical
minded have been gathered together
After the first two acts the folk with
the technical minds may adjourn, IL
they are so disposed, but it is doubt
full if they will, even though there Is
a marked falling off of dramatic skill
in the final act.
No; we do not think that any one
will leave the theatre before the ina!
curtain. In fact, every lover Of the
/ theatre will surrender himself for the
evening as soon as Barney Bernard, OBJ
serving the pinochle play of his wife,
exclaimS 10Y" for the first time.
This is the first line of the play, and
we do not recollect play of the year
with a more deft opening. With Nav
russ Perlmutter, Marks Pasinsky and
Rosie Potash at the card table and
Abe nervously walking up and down
behind his wife's chair, the audierc
has an opportunity TO get more or lees
acquainted with four Of the chief char
acters of the play before word has
been spoken. Every one who saw
Potash and Perlmutter" undoubtedly
will remember that Rosie was "rot-
ten pinochle player" but this advance
| information is unnecessary. One needs
only 20 watch the expression Of Abe
and hear his monosyllabic expressions
Of disgust TO learn that Rosie has not
improved in her card playing between
seasons.
It is easy 10 watch and TO listen 10
describing his work.
Barney Bernard, who plays the part
is 10 avoid the use Of superlatives in
( of Abe Potash. The only difficult thing
Coming from the theatre full of the
enthusiasm engendered in US by the
acting Of Mr.. Bernard we might go so
| fer as - make exetravagant state
ments concerning his performance. We
will, therefore. confine ourselves 70 the
remark that we do not remember ever
having seen a character part better
played than Abe Potash in "Abe and
Mawruss"
The appearance of the man 's frst
Of all triumph in makeup, but that
/ of course is a minor matter The spirit
| of the character sets upon Bernard
even more closely than the wig You
can no more tell where Bernard leaves
off and Potash begins than you could
/ tell from the rear seat in the orches-
ira at Just what point forehead stops
and canvas badness sets in.
J And Abe If not a profound character
( is a complex one. Abe is ayaricious,
/ penitent, frightened. worried and angry
/ by turns For moment or SO he is
heroic. Whatever the mood, the touch
of the actor is equally true. In partic-
ular we admired the manner in which
Pernard achieved the fine climax of
I the second act. At the suggestion of
q swindler Abe and Mawruss are about
TO incorporate and place their stock on
the market in Wall Street. The deed
Of incorporation is read and il shocks
every business ideal which Abe has
maintained for twenty years. He is
part coward and part hero, and at the
last minute he refuses 20 20 through
with the transaction and shakes him
self out Of the whole mess The part
ing between Abe and Mawruss rings
true, and the scene between the de-
serted Abe and Rosie is playwriting
and play acting OF the best sort. After
that not so much may be said for the
play
"A comedy in three acts and \
happy ending" is the description OF the
play which the programme furnishes
The happy ending is forced only in 50
much as Abe is required 20 sacrifice
$4,000 20 save his partner, bu. the
first scene Of the third act is relo.
drama of the whipped-up sort. This
is a pity. for ABE and Mawruss9 is
not so far removed from the great
American comedy as many OF those
who laugh az IL may imagine. Some
how or other there seems 20 be an i'm
preston in the minds Of a number Of
persons that any play which is suiii-
GENTLY amusing must be without real
worth in the last analysis.
Therefore, we advise the playgoer
who sees ABE and Mawruss" not 10 let
his merriment blind himself TO the fact
that the card game in the first act is
deft dramatic exposition. He will do
well 70 observe, also, that the first act,
with all its humorous lines, does much
20 develop the character % Abe, Of
Morris, Of Rosie and Of Ruth and, in
addition, begins a story and suggests
interesting possibilities Of comulica-
tons which are later realized. More
over, we hope that ell discriminating
weepers will go and watch the scene
between Abe and Rtsie at the end Of
the second act. IL is in It's way as nice
and fine a touch OF pathos as Barries
"Rosalind." let US say.
IL is not unfair 20 a good company
10 say that Barney Bernard over
shadows all the others. Nine. Cottrelly
as Rosie does splendid work az that
/ julius Tanner is a good Morris. better
in mis- serious scenes than in the hu-
morous ones, perhaps. Lee Kohlmar
scores again as he did in the last play as
/ Pasinsky. Louise Dresser is an engag-