New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-28
THE DRAMA.
MRS. FIsKE AS MAGDA

! Thes
tire. presenting nr sudermanns troublesome a..
| profoundly disagreeable character OF Mazda az
| she was received with cordial acclaim hy nun,,
/ Gus audience Mrs. Fiske IL one OF tho mos, n,
| teIlcctual women upon our Stage. and her dixnl,v
% mind strength Of character. and inneslble siahn
/ ny OF worthy purpose make her an object ~ In
| usual interest and have gained for her the resu.c
and admiration OF all persons Vho wish for N.
| prosperity Of a respectable. useful. and nnuent.
] stage To some Of her admirers. doubt he,
| choice Of the play OF Mazda" with which 70 sir
naze her return to this capital will seem wise a.,
/ right. The Suderman1 style OF drama has rs a.
horonts. and undoubtedly this play provides oppo,
tunity for effective acting. and especially for m.
/ manifestation OF that morbid. sef-torturing spl.,
etic temperament which finds It's best deno,emsp
| in the Intense, half-repressed and half-spasnot.
| manner which came in with Clara Morris which
received a impulse from Nine. Duse srd
which Mrs. Fiske has Thought It desirable 10
! adopt. other admirers were content with Mr..
/ Flske's original manner and they are likely 70 view
/ her selection OF "Magda" with some regret 81.
/ played the part exceedingly well. but n IL dis
/ cult TO understand why actress who ran - "A
! charming I'm better things should condoscenf 70
! such character.
In a perfectly elemental state Of society the dec.
laration that children ought to honor their parents
/ and that parents ought not 10 treat their children
/ with tyrannical and exasperating severity mgh,
possess a valuable significance: IN the existing sta,s
OF society II Is q vapld truism yet thar frulsm 1,
/ the sum and substance OF Mr.. Sudermann's pay
/ The observer IL appraised that Magfa. frettnr
under the harsh restraint OF a dictatorla father
has left her home and has become an actress tia,
she has been seduced and betrayed that she hss
| borne an iegitimate child: that she has snr.
/ mounted various difficulties and sorrows. ana iha,
/ she returns to her fathers house. % resume her
place in his family to find that her tetrayer IS N.
! respected friend II her family. and. inviting.
/ ly-albeit in the display Of pig-headed perversi,y
! and with a brazen and impudent avowal % vice.
/ TO throw her aged sire into an apopiexy and thus
! to cause his death. No woman has appeared IN
recent fiction who affords better example than
can be found in Magda OF almost every repulsivs
! attribute OF he female character. She is vain
silly pcrverse obstinate. self-wiled unchase ugly
/ in temper and absolutely selfish. Such a person
might be serviceable an incident in drama,
but as the total subject Of a drama she IL out o.
| all proportion and she becomes neither more nor
less than deadly bore. Persons who learned
/ I'm the Sudermann and lbsen literature have mt
mated that the true significance q such plays as
/ "Nagda'" can only be appreciated by those who
are acquainted with the actual state Of society IN
the bucolic region OF Scandinavia and possibly that
/ is true. Mr. Sudermann may have drawn Magda"
/ rs a frightfu, example. or ne may have intended
! her TO be a model OF the New Woman. IN either
! case to a healthful taste she IS obnoxious and
I sunerhuous 1t ought not 70 be necessary. and I,
| IS not-for the stage to advise young women that
I they must not regulate the conduct OF their ives
bv vanity and the love % admlration that they
must not run away from home and produce chill
/ dren without having been married. ard that tney
must not by even false avowal Of wanton propen-
stiles cause their paterna ancestors 10 explode with
fury There are two classes Of people who make lie
| intolerable-the Regulators and the lrculcators
/ The Regulators think they know what Is best for
| their neighbors and are always Needing win INV
/ affairs OF others. The lncu.caiors are HesnVeu
with Moral Lessons. and are never weary OF 'ne
process Of installation. Mr. Sudermann appears 70
ba an Incubator. He has ascertained that there
arc domestic troubles and Of these he makes pict-
ures There is no end 10 the WEAKNESS OF tnh
theme English dramatists have lately taken 70 H.
and as J. Bull is seldom light In MS 'oucn, 'n'
/ chances are more than commonly favoraole I"
long theatrical portraiture Of foul domestic TUG
ton" and putrid small beer When Charles DcE.
ems was leaving England for the United states OF
America some local satirst inquired whether II
was not possible for him 10 find suficlent supply
OF disagreeahle people In the Seven Dias "hsn
the cares and trials and perplexities Of ordnaV
life are considered, II may well be asked Whe'ne'
Il Is necessary for the public 70 repair TO the
theatre 10 see such vapid. morbid and repelIent
women as Magda-and TO pay for the privilege
Mrs Fiske has done all that can be done with MT
Sudernanns wearisome type OF fever ana hufry' H.
/ balanced mentality and disordered nerves In the
! one blithe passage or the play'-'he Co'A'Ns "a
Naeda 70 her old home,-the winning sweetness
and the lovely humor Of the actress rraaa's mo
scene like a sudden burst Of sunshine no o"'
could he more charming than Mrs F!ske' IN mo-
/ n,ents of happy buoyancy and playful eNn"al a'on
She was exceedingly effective. likewise IN We eA
pression OF bitter scorn OF the betrayer OF NasuA
IN her utterance OF satirical mockery o. Nm
/ and in her assumption Of eNultant triumph "nsa
repelling his belated advances. Every opportunity
Of this kind was fully improved and no doubt ne
provision OF the actress as to what she coD'' CIV
OF personal utterance in these SITUATIONS VS.
controlling influence IN har selection ~ me oh4lS'
ter Her faculty of Improvisation her l"i''4ua
force and her incisiye method mere As'N 'A,iNr"
fed. but these have Ions been known ana u I'D
not require a Magda 10 prove them MIS- rNa'
has the cooperation Of a well seectei c'mpany' -
which the more prominent players are Iyron'
Power John Craig Frederic de- BeAcFllr Ssu"'
! Cowell and Gertrude Norman. she ""s "a"!
times recalled and she had good reason 10 ''e'
! that this public Will accept her dramatic e"o'"
I whatever she may be pleased C. choose one -
the great beauties OF her embodiment i il INV
discrin, alton of manner toward the dlfereh' ia
| terlocutors-a discrimination revealing Keen ~
ception of character. great knowledhe OF 'he W.
and a most acute perception ot me enec' ~ >,
/ perionce upon individuality. Almost me onH ,
! fect-if not indeed. the only one-"as 49,
I OF euunciation which. overshooung .fs marA ~
duced an occas ional effect Of lncohe.ence N''-'
may be too natural. on the other hana' '"e ~ -,
about the development OF a womans nature -.
the stress Of sin and sufrerin s-He'e'
though f. IS and full OF falsehood ana hu'nn's
was beautiful with passionate eioQuence ana U!s
tai clarity II anything could redeem TINS ,"s'",,
It would he such acting as that OF MIS-. fiSNs ;,
It ought to be said that her audience io"0"' 81
performance with almost GREATNESS inter- ID
/ cvinced the deepest sympathy Win heI po'.@ar
Of revolt against commonplace me- ana esp''
with her humorous strokes 81 satire upon w -.
erage stupidity. Most persons perhaps hnl M.
world du., and are glad OF anything 'aa' 's''
! its monotony.
!
THE OLD DUMAS REVIVAL
THE KINGS MCsKErENN -,