Overview

Sternheim writes in a style that no American has mastered; direct and precise, blunt and forceful. Upon the rise of the curtain the audience is thrust immediately into the drama of a commanding young man who knows exactly what he wants and how he will get it. He is about to be appointed president of the mammoth corporation he now serves as secretary. To clear the tracks, he pays off his mistress for years of services rendered - with interest - without a touch of human feeling, and yet not altogether unkindly. He similarly pays off his parents for what they have given him and ships them off to another country lest they embarrass him in his ascent to glory. He is shrewd, ruthless, and absolutely dedicated to his ambition. A truly fascinating portrait, in an absorbing style of dramaturgy.