New-York tribune., 1889-12-22
THE DRAMA.
A DOLLS HOUSE.

been manifested with reference to this piece because
from first to last IT an unmticated' bore and i'm
addition TO being stupid II is occasionally nauseous
and at the close II is grossly absurd The story that
it tells is silly story. The persons who implicated
In it-excepting the wild and strange and morally dis
eased heroine-are commonplace persons The incidents
of it mostly trivial. And the moral drift of it.
which is constantly and strenuously urged upon the
spectators attention. and which therefore cannot be
ignorcd-is either oppressively tre. or vacuously
obscure, radically and perniciously false 1t
contains ideas, but they chiefly such as might be
expected to occur in a medical eSsay-partculary IL
the essay written by scientific crank. In that
form the assertion with which II teens that hereditary
nfrmties may break forth in the form of eccentric
conduct, might possibly possess valuable signncance
Upon the stage that assertion is merely tedious as
every other novel assertion is that takes the form not
of dramatic picture but of abstract precept. In
short this piece is essay put into the shape of
dialogue in three parts and illustrated with stage
setting and tableaus. The first part states case
The second part presents sequent dilemma The
third part shows climax and announces moral.
All three of the parts saturated with insipdity
and the composition is set down in quite remarkable
vein Of rigid nonotony. Mr.. Ibsen may be brilliant
writer in his native language, but his appears
in the bald English of Mr. Archer's translation. he
seems to possess what Thackeray called mediocrity
enough to insure any fortune"
Separated from its moral drift and viewed drama
this piece is found to contain one situation that is
essentially dramatic. 1t occurs in the second act.
The wife, who is amiabe and impetuouS simpleton,
destitute equally Of moral principle and Of
sense, but very pretty and attractive committed
a forgery in order TO benefit her husband and that
crime Of hers is here to be struggling toward her
husbands knowledge. The man has been shown to
be prig and the woman accepting her TO be
possibility at ALL which is very dinculO to be tmor-
fool. On the side stands self-conceted con
and hysterical affection frenzed with fear. The
written danger is to be present in the husbands
letterbox. He has only TO stretch forth his hand
and seize it, and then. she believes there will
be end of the world. Here the dramatst
has created moment Of exciting suspense and has
provided. for that element of action which is
essential to a play-and which makes and defines the
difference between play and a narrative The
endangered woman's eXpedient TO herself is the
instantaneous rehearsal of wild and tumultuou-
dance, which il has been promised that she Is give at
a masquerade under her husbands direction: and 10y
this hystercal she dstracts 1s attention from
the letter and thus temporarily averts the dreaded
crisis. This situation has manifest dramatic value,
and into this the total merit of the playas such, and
not a photograph Of domestic commonplace or as
an essay on the deplorable facts OF heredty-is
crystalzed and condensed All else is chronicle Of
small beer-and long chronicle, too, for the per
formance of q" A Dolls House" given yesterday after
three hours.
The proceedings that occur in theatres are i'm
portant TO the community drama, or else they
are not important at all Upon the moral drHt OF
this work observation need not lnger Everybody
knows that conduct the result of character Every
body knows that hereditary taints may cause vice
and crime. There needs ghost come from Norway
to tell us this. "Ts true It's pity and pity us
tis true" But II does not follow that sound prln-
cples should be conjured good laws modified be
people arc born without the moral sense.
Nora in this play, is charming, hitten-like person.
another FrouFTou only she does not tend TO adultery
but it is justification of her as liar and forger
and systematic fraud to intimate that her father was
a sort of Skimpoe. DR.. Rank. IN TINS play, Is as
full of kindness he is Of tubercles but IT is no
Enthusiastically apprising her tlat l. mas ois-
eased backbone,-tO declare that his father was iOnd
notions the part Of Mr. lbsen are Illogical ana
they likewise nasty. lie makes his heroine in
this play tIihe with this sick doctor about the ces
of her silk stocking possibly because her grand
father was fond of Of the ballet And & ne % makes Sco n
propenSities that certainly date baok - Adam; All
this however. is incidental The serious question Is
10 a Dolls House, is the question Of ts dramatic
value. This may be readily answered. There is one
good in it for the actress and there its value
begins and ends II is worth seeing for the sake Of
this scene, and it is likewise worth seeing as
curiosity.
Miss Beatrice Cameron impersonated Nora, and she
charmed her audience by the revelation that she made
enough to express all that She feels but her deneanor
and action are eloquent Of deep feeling. If it were
indeed possible for TO posses, such goodness
of heart is ascrbed 10 Mr. Ibsens heroine, com
bned with the complete moral imbecility that is like
wise stipulated as one of her attributes. the ideal
embodied by Miss Cameron would not only meet his
intention, but surpsss it, The performance is repete
with fine intelligence and It's expression of feminine
trepids ton-the waverng between love aud fear-s az
once true. forciblc and pathetic Miss Cameron was
often appauded and several times called before the
curtain by numerous audience anxious for her sue
cess For the actress personally the occasion one
Of creditable victory For the play, it Of
resgnaton-and " no flowers
Mr. Atkins Lawrence did not create an impression
of sincerity Hemer. The acting Of Mr.. Dallas a,
Krocstad IL marred by indistnct delivery. proved,
however manifestation of force and capacity.