The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27

take one full year for the proper pro-
duction of the play. and 1 haven't had
that yet But I'm afraid I'm very
stupid
The gods grant me all the Fiske
stupidity goingi" / put it. But L left
her then, with the privilege of later
chat during the week.
Our next tryst, amusingly, was at
the Hammam baths. Thursday
dawning had found Mrs. Fiske sleep
less and still tired. 1 found her my
self at noon with the rose and fresh
ness of new sleep upon her. 1t was
pleasant TO go in out of the rain, and
Mrs. Fiske was all her vivid, brilliant
self.
I'm stin stupid" she prefaced as
entered the little cabin where she lay.
Il was hoping so,' 1 said. I'VE left
off at 'Hedda Gabler' you remember?
I've seen two Heddas. by the way,
Nance O'NeiTs and Blanche Bates.
Miss Bates was too wholesome to my
thinking" 1 proffered.
And I?-' she smiled. Must one be
morbid. wonder, to understand He'd
da2 At least one must understand
everything. is it not, even to the dregs?'
PITY, isn't it, that Ibsen cared so
little for beauty?" l ventured.
Beauty is very difficult to define"
the actress remarked slowly. ITO me
the Ibsen drama is now in much the
same position, relatively to modern
drama, as was the Wagner music
drama some years ago to Italian opera.
dreadful bizarre, all sorts of con-
demnation was heaped upon it. Yet
the same sounds now are accepted as
beautiful. The truth is that there is an
evolution of beauty, and we may even
come to consider Ibsen beautiful. He
is certainly the most enthralling among
the masters of stagecraft-a flaming,
angry, raging northern start" she
flashed.
And 'Rosmersholm' is chief of the
Ibsen constellation"
1T ranks, I think she answered
thoughtfuly, with the great love
stories of the world, with the Tristan
and Isolde with Romeo and Juliet
Hasn't Rebecca West been called the
Lady Macbeth of the North?' Ibsen
is so wonderful in that you never get
to the end of him. Par exemple. There
are as many Heddas as there are ac-
tresses who interpret her-Just as there
are Hamlets. Not only that, but each
actress finds something new in the part
every time she plays it. Only enormous
genius could create a character of such
range"
"Pinero?"
oh" Mrs. Fiske shrugged her shoul-
ders. her eyes twinkling with tolerant
amusement. "Pinero is a very nice
little follower, a pretty little reflection,
a pale flame of the Ibsen school. He's
been influenced naturally. Every play
wright worth anything has. But I
shouldn't say so. should 1? He may
charge me double royalties when 1
want a play" Then frankly, and with
the almost masculine fearlessness that
characterizes her, she said: But why
shouldn't 1 say so? It's true. Ibsen
begins-begins, my dear-where all
other modern dramatists end
But where are your players?" I
ask, though I've found that Ibsen
plays are singular in that they get the
best from the actor But really to play
them"
The people-do you really want to
suggest something useful?" and Mrs.
Fiske sat up among her pillows to ask
me this. her fatigue forgotten. Some
times 1 think it may be worth
saying, no one ever knows. The
people, to answer your question first,
who should be playing Ibsen plays are
starring at the head of the various
companies. You cannot blame them.
They have to consider the material side
of things
All you are thinking of the national
theater," l interrupt.
mo, no." the actress said, nothing
so ambitious. But why not get to-
gether a company of the same artistic
caliber as the Metropolitan Opera Com
pany, and let US have plays produced
as the operas are produced. Nothing
could be easier. It would be incompar-
ably less expensive, to begin with that
end of it-and one always has to. There
would be the large orchestra and the
chorus both eliminated. Nor would it
cost so much to group together a COM
pany of actors of the highest attain
ments as to get together a similar COM
pany of opera singers 1t only re-
mains for some few men to supply
the money. I believe myself that it
would be an excellent investment"
And the pleasure of seeing that kind
of a company" cried.
And the pleasure of playing in it,"
said Mrs. Fiske. Il would rather play
small part in that kind of production
than star in any other kind. But YOU
cannot expect the actor to abandon his
rewards"
THE opera singers do not" contrib
ute. Now, where would your company
play2'
I'm New York for a season and then
tour, the actress planned, marking off
NewYork on gay yellow stripe on her
coverlid, and skipping to an opposite