The Denver Jewish news., 1920-11-24
Jewish Plays on the Anne
rican Stage
MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF
JEWISH CHARACTER PORTRAY
ED.
BY s. pINGEL

! Jewish plays on the nol-.Iewish stage
7 us during tho present stason. As
these lines are written, not less than
three Jewish plays maintain II run
| on the New York stage David
Pinski's Treasure" at the Garrick
Theatre. welcome strangers" at
Cohan & Harris and ",rhe Unwritten
Chapter" at the Aston.
! Whence this sudden prediction for
Jewish plays has come upon the stage
| IL well known in theatrical circles. In
the portfolios of American theatrical
managers there can always be found
some Jewish plays. that Ia. plays
with Jewish characters. Very few
theatrical managers dare to produce
such plays as they fear criticism by
| their Gentle audiences who might
charge that such plays suggest the
smell of "gefillte fish" Last year,
however, something occurred that
eyebrow While many theatres in the
larger cities suffered from financial
reverses. Jewish" play. "Welcome
Strangers" was produced in Chicago
| to capacity audiences whole season.
| The managers came to realize that
most of the theatrc.goers in the larger
cities We're Jews and that Jewish
play was by no means an impeachment
to business. They therefore. trans
planted the same play. welcome
Strangers" from Chicago to New
York, where its success was duplicated
and where 1t has been staged before
full houses ever since.
Based on the success of welcome
Strangers" two other plays. previously
mentioned. found their place on the
American stage But theatrical man-
ayers have made n mistake this time.
The success of welcome Strangers
was not due, to the fact that 1t was
Jewish play or that 1t flattered the
Jew. even tho such may account par
t;nlly for its success, but it was sue
ccssful because it happens to be. even
without its Jewish content. remark
ubly well done comedy. light. amusing
and in accordance with the tastes OF
the average theatre-gocr. and then Its
chief character. the Jewish star.
George Sydney, is 30 wonderful in the
Part lie is acting that 1t isSa real
pleasure to see him or watch his per-
forlnance. s.-t
Such cannot. however. he said of the
other two plays. As work of art
Pinski's Treasure" is undoubtedly
greater than the other two plays. but
1t is a satire rather than comedy
or drama. and it is an almost impoS'
sible task to make satire success
full ON the stage. OF all modern
lrnmatists only one. Bernard Shaw
managed to accomplish 1t. but even
his success Is only partial.
"The Unwritten Chapter" does not
possess even such quality. The play
makes the impression Of having been
written with the pre-tlestined idea
that Jews are patriots and that they
are connected with American history
almost from the first day Columbus
set his foot in the New World. But
the play Is long drawn out and mon
otonous. and does not provoke any en-
thusiasm or any sincere laughs from
the audience.
1t will, therefore. surprise nobody
that the two last-named plays cannot
produce the result expected by their
managers. and 1t will bc Logical
thing by the time these lines reach the
reading public that the American stage
will have lost two plays of its Jew
ish' production.
Let us admit that no one will regret
the "untimely" death of the two plays.
Our Jewish dramatists have simply
been found unequal to the task OF
of their work to the American public.
Jewish life Of yesterday and today
is full Of dramatic material which
merely awaits the ignition of n spark
20 blow off A great author, full of
national consciousness, like David
Pinski. is undoubtedly able to instil
into it his great artistic soul. Never
theless lie could find .iothing better
for the English-speaking stage than
his Treasure" half-comical, half
mystical episode, of n small Jewish
town. where the grave digser's son
buried his pet dog and found in the
grave few gold coins, which caused
the town to proclaim it a treasure
and go on hunt for money under the
guidance of feeble-minded boy.
While the Sophisticated theatre
gocr may see in the play the symbol