| SODIUM PROVIDER |
| A Drama by L'zar Quimby |
| The latest effort by our own L'zar Quimby premiered land night at the Tsar Alexander National Theater. "Sodium Provider", an unusual and often arresting drama is possibly the greatest work in the history of the Bulgarian Theater. The story revolves around a poor salt seller, portrayed by Ivor Talyanis, and his love for a simple milkmaid, played by the beautiful Alexandra Bornian. Although the tale appears to have been overdone by playwrights everywhere, Quimby use of surrealistic elements puts the story on another level, yet unattained by others. The milkmaid in this story is ambitious. She wants more than her lot in life. She wants to be a cheese maker. But, shel laments, she has not the salt to help in the fermentation of the milk. She undertakes a journey on a magic three-legged cow to the town of Stilton, where she meets the salt seller. He is instantly smitten with her, but she does not want his love, just his salt. She plays the romantic to fool him into supplying her with the necessary salt to make her cheese and open her shop. Once a success, she throws him over for a rich public official, played by Gunnar Histead, a Danish actor. The salt seller is devastated adn moves to another town, inhabited by people who have lost things precious to them. The milkmaid soon realizes her error and goes to find the salt seller. But will she be able to reconcile? There is an incredible, "other-worldly" sense in this play. The sets are drawn in such a way that one cannot tell day from night, right from left. Set designer Hans Goltenschmidt was a student of several of the great German Expressionist filmakers and learned well. There is just a hint of Caligari in the skew of this world. The three-legged cow, an elk with horns at both ends and several other animals used in the play wre constructed from paper mache by local artisan Boris Tasnik, whose statue, "The Crow of St. Stephan" was destroyed by a drunken motorist a month ago. The costumes are circuslike in many respects. The bright colors and the large pompoms are only softened by the hats that each chracter wears. The salt seller has a shaker top on his head and, as he moves, salt cascades from it. The first time the milkmaid bowed, milk poured from the pitcher-like hat that she wore. National symbols also could be found as the mayor's top hat would produce flags frequently. Other characters helped to round out the play's sense of the absurd. Most notable was a madman who roamed the play wearing stripes and trying to sell others a juice made from crushed beetles and a Finnish actress who paraded around the scenes wearing a dress that looked like a swan. Lastly, there is an odd authority figure, named Colonel Cosher, who tries to reign in the insanity, without much success. Music is also interspersed throughtout the play. Many tunes and songs are used at both important and unnecessary times. The highlight is a song of discovery that is used when the milkmaid and the salt seller are reunited, and help to bring about the conclusion of the play, when the milkmaid poses the musical question "Packaged Ice is Food, Why Not Sodium?" This has been recorded adn has been making its way to Victrolas all over Bulgaria. An organ grinder with a ferret is also in many scenes, playing the Bulgarian National Anthem in reverse. It is hard to imagine that the same man who failed in the Americas with a musical called "Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg" has come back so strong and so fresh. Truly, "Sodium Provider" will be considered an important work in the history of the Bulgarian Theater. Hats off to L'zar Quimby! |
| -translated from the Sophia Evening Document, June 28, 1931 |