The herald., 1897-06-13
Conducted by Geo. A. Dobinson.)

Gawain, writing from London to the
Mirror, can see no good in Ibsen's plays.
He has given the Norwegian masters
works several strongly adverse criti-
cisms, and now has the following to say:
rThe Independent Theater company en-
joyed themselves again on Monday and
several afternoons each week by making
kind friends in front miserable by Civ
ing a performance of Master Ibsen's S
extraordinary play entitled The Wild
Duck which they first presented at the
Royalty some three years ago. If any
of your readers should wish to see or
read this play, I can only give them the
advice that Punch gave to those about
to malry--'Don't!' 1t is a sordid and
nasty play chiefly dealing with the poor,
little, half-blind 'by-blow' of a selfish
trader, who caused the illegitimate
child's mother (hs former housekeeper)
to marry an unsuspecting photographer
in time to lead him to think that the child
is his. The libidinous traders son, act
ing upder the impulse of what he calls
the claims of the Ideal makes it his
business to rake up the whole matter; to
tell the unsuspe pecting photographer who
is the real father of the child, showing
that 1t has even inherited its (and his
own) fathers semi blindness! All this
results in the man and wife (both selfish
to the core) parting forever, after talk
ing like the rest of all sorts of sexual
matters, and in the poor. little illegitl-
mate girls suicide at the age of IA. She
, shoots herself while protesting to shoot
a Wild Duck which she idolizes, but
which she is led to believe by the afore-
said self-satisfied son has helped to es-
TRANCE her reputed father from her! Thus
ends this Ibscene' play of selfishness.
symbolism and sexuality.'
s.
The poor, abused dramatic critic, who
has Of late been made the target for all
'sorts of assaults, and yet who somehow
has not been very much affected by
hard knocks, has been agreeably sur
prised by the decision of Troy IN. W
Judge. An eastern paper says: "On
application Of Corporation Counsel Del
ehanty of Albany. Justice Edwards at
Troy granted last Wednesday perpet-
ual injunction restraining F. F. Proctor,
lessee of the Leland opera house, AL
bany, and his employees from excluding
]. c. Mullaney, dramatic critic of the AL
bany Morning Express, who had been
forbidden to enter the Leland"
The Mirror says. apropos of the use of
Scriptural subjects on the Partisan stage,
notably Emile Rostaud's La Samari-
taine." that 'it is often an open question
whether Biblical plays are desira BILE
from a purely artistic point of view" If
any incident or set of scenes taken from
the Bible can be artistically framed for
the stage. and can also be we'll acted by
competent persons, what car make such
Biblical plays undesirable from a purely
artistic point of view? The dramatlst
gets his material wherever he can find
1t, and the more poetic the subject the
finer the effect under worthy trea tment
Whether the public will accept such
productions Is another story.
The same critic says, in regard to LA
Samaritaine": THE piece has enhanced
Rostaud's note as a poet, but while he
has treated his theme with reverence
and delioacy, and while his verses are In
spired with mystic fervor, the fact re-
mains that the presentation of the Naz-
arene in the play house in any circum-
stances falls nothing short of a sacrilege
in the minds of most persons"
The full bench of the supreme court
of Massachusetts has handed down
decision to the effect that a musician
cannot recover for services at a public
concert on Sunday, because such a con-
tract is in violation of the statutes, and,
being Illegal, no suit can be maintained.
The musician contended that he had
legal right to recover under the contract.
as the concert might have been licensed,
and he was ignorant of the fact that no
license had been obtained. The court
holds, however, that legally only IL
cense could be obtained to give concert
on the evening of the Lords day, and
that as the contract called for concerts
on Sunday, not merely in the evening,
the musician is not entitled to recover.
Kruger, sharpshooter, while attempt
mig to shoot an apple from his sisters
head, with his back toward her, and
aiming with the assistance of a mirror
shot the girl through the head. She died
few minutes later. The occurrence
took place on May gath at a theater in
Berlin.
Mile. Emma Calve says that she had
not decided yet whether she will return
to America the year after next or not.
Next autumn she will originate at the
Paris Opera Comique, "Sapho," a new
opera by Massenet. The book is found.
ed on the well-known novel of Daudet.
Henri Cain, the painter, feuilletonist
and librettist, is the author of the book
This new work Will be a distinct de-
parture from the traditional subjects
hitherto employed by librettsts and
composers. "Sapho" may be described
as a modern problem play set to music.
Mile. Calve is enchanted with her role.
She declares that to her it is the most
interesting character she has yet stud
led.
The latest thing in theatrical souvenirs
has been devised by the management Of
Terry's Theater in London in honor of
the Queens jubilee, as well as to in
crease the attractions of 1.-THE French
Maid" They propose to give diamond
brooches to their three most faithful pat