Sam'l of Posen; or, The Commercial Drummer
Play by George H. Jessop / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam'l of Posen; or, The Commercial Drummer is a play by the Irish-born dramatist George H. Jessop.[1] Described as a "comic melodrama", the play is regarded as the first work in the history of American theatre to present a positive portrayal of a Jewish character.[2][3] The character of the Jewish immigrant traveling salesman Samuel Plastrick was created out of a style of humor that originated among Jewish comedians in American music halls, and was the first Jewish character in an English-language play that invited audiences to laugh with a Jewish character rather than at them; a concept which was highly successful in the United States from the play's inception in 1881 but which was ridiculed by critics and audiences when the play was first performed in England. While progressive for its time, the role has also been criticized for introducing a stereotype of a particular type of Jewish character into the literary canon.
The role of Samuel Plastrick brought both fame and fortune to the Jewish-American actor M. B. Curtis whose portrayal of the Jewish pedlar, an occupation known as a "drummer" in 19th century America, was wildly popular with American audiences. After an initial production in New York City, Posen toured in the role successfully for two years before purchasing the rights to the play outright from Jessop. After this, he made several modifications to the work with the assistance of one of his co-stars, the actor and comedian Edward Marble, with whom he transformed the play from a three act work to a four act work. He continued to tour widely in the role for decades.