The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-16
Reviewed by
LEON ALEXANDER

stre is again stuff Of the tradi-
tional material of the Polish-Jewish
folk drama: with the oppressed
poor, the hypocritical, grasping rich,
the village idiot, the Hassidem, the
lecherous, mercenary rabbi, the
wronged daughter Of Israel.
To the town, brought by two of
the most namely comical policemen
it has ever been our Joy to meet
on the stage, comes the ukase of the
Gar Of all the Russias, decreeing
that henceforth the Jews shall be
liable to military service.
An ukasel The whole town shrinks
from it even before it has learned
what it contains; takes a glance at
it and grows pale; delays reading it
as long as possible while the two
unlettered police go from Jew to
Jew, looking for the scribe of the
community to have the decree read.
And when the people finally learn
the nature of the new decree, there
are wailings in all the houses for
the children who are to be torn
from their mothers arms.
At loss what to do, the commu-
nifty goes to its richest man, the
liberal" free-thinking Jew, Kruger.
Kruger convinces them that this
ukase is a good thing for Jewry.
For isn't military service the first
recognition that the Jew is citi-
zen of the state? And If he is al
lowed to enter the army today, who
knows but that tomorrow he may
be permitted to trade and to travel
freely throughout the Russian en-
pire? Just think Of that, Jewsl And
all the Gar asks of us is that we
send just one little recruit to his
army.
But who2 The son Of a mer-
chant? Intolersble! Military SER
vice, that is a thing for the children
Of the poor, for the "kapsunem" f;
just as trading is thing for the
sons of the rich. And isn't there
certain Nachem in this town, a
journeyman tailor, a reckless fellow
a trouble maker, who stirs the poor
Jews against their richer brothers;
a fine, healthy, strong boy, just the
kind who is well fitted to represent
the town in the Cars army?
Kruger is the one who manages to
get Nachem to his house.
Under the pretext of meeting his
sweetheart for a secret wedding
Kruger gets Nachem drunk, makes
him sign enlistment papers in the
belief that it is a marriage pact
and before the tailor can quite real
iSe what has happened to him, the
Cossacks, forewarned, drag him
away.
Suddenly, the blind mother o.
Nachem comes looking for her son
her only support, sensing that some.
thing has happened to him, calling
his name. For just moment, hor-
ror and shame get the best of the
rich mems cupidity: the only son Of
poor widow-and blind Surely
the Lord will strike them for theil
sin. And the town drunkard. out
ragged, rising suddenly to the dig
nifty of a man, grabs a chair for 6
weapon to destroy the whole fou
breed.
GIVEN even the broadcast latitude
this play cannot be called eithel
revolutionary or proletarian drama
For the form Is still that of thu
Jewish folk play, diffused and un.
dramatic, the characters are thost
that tradition has set into a per.
manent mould. Scene follows scene
now tender, now ironic, now broadly
grotesque, but without compelling
dramatic continuity The mood i
not that of the revolutionary play
intense and militant.
But the play is approached will
such freshness and humor, writer
in a speech so racy that we forge
its dramatic shortcomings. And i
the characters are drawn in tw
dimensions, caricatures rather thai
flesh and blood beings, the towr
on the other hand, assumes a vivi
reality.
The acting Is most competen
where it is most natural; the stylize
sometimes has way of becornin
the stilted.
There are other weaknesses in tn
production. The play is too slow
paced, especially in the beginning
I would like to see more nervousl
taut acting and direction. The Cos
sacks might have a more militar
bearing, and the Polish Pan nigh
be less of a showboat Simon Legret
The lighting throws blotches Q
color upon the actors, predominant
green, and is too high in key fc
the mood of the settings. But thes
all are minor technical defects tina
intrude but slightly into an enjoy
able evening.
However, no matter how pleasar
an evening in the theatre Recruits
provides, we would like to see tn
Artef present play that would b
closer in purpose and in tempe
to the experience of it's audiences.
= The success of the Daily Worke
100000 drive means better, large
v1ou-Sv.a mar nnnaf a ord oot doy,o