The San Francisco call., 1904-04-12
FISKE SEASON
NEARS AN END
"a Dolls House," a Play in
Three Acts, Is Brilliantly
Presented at the Grand
SURFETT OF GOOD BILLS
Central. AlcaZar and Tiyoli
Put OH New Plays for
Week and Win Approval

"A Dolls House." a new comedy in
three acts by Hendrix Ibsen. affords
this week the last glimpse OF the
eason Of Mrs Fiske In her variety.
The play also affords Max Figman his
best opportunity of the engagement as
Torvald Helmer.
One does not need to ask here what
Ibsen is driving at Unlike, as in the
motsonless art of "Hedda Gabler,"
serenely unpeedful OF any raison d'etre
save its TRUTH pure and purposeless,
the playwright is distinctly preaching
in "A Dolls House" And one does not
need to ask here what Ibsen is driving
at simply because every one can find
an answer 10 his taste-and each prob
ably different Those bitten with the
heredity bee doubtless take II that
Ibsen is once again preaching, as In
Ghosts" that the sins of the fathers
descend upon the children The pro-
tagonists of the environment theory
viii point 10 Nora Helmer's up-bringtng
by the servants as evidence that the
playwright is preaching the effect Of
environment upon character. The in
dividualiSt, the new woman, any one,
In fact, can take a fling at a moral and
bring one down to his entire satisfac-
ton Meantime Ibsen paints away at
his characters, truth upon truth. light
upon light, and at the last, as in life,
one is left questioning.
Mrs FIslze as the child-wife, Nora
Helmer, who lies with equal readiness
about a macaroon or a forged check,
ha hs4c M MI
sublimely assumes to be Nora's will
and conscience" engage easily the
sympathies of the audience. Mr. Fig
man gives a pleasantly human quality
TO the character of Helmer. Cad as he
is later found 10 be, and superb ego
tist always, one is made to feel that
with his small spiritual charge Helmer
pays IN as much as he could be ex-
pected TO pay One foresees, indeed,
for him in his last illuminative words,
"A miracle" a new and wiser Helmer
to meet some day the new Nora, grown
to woman's stature. Mr.. Figman's
scene where he discovers that Nora
has forged the check is an admirable
bit Of bourgeois exposition, and the
hole imDersonation splendidly con-
sistent and convincing.
Mrs. Fiske did" a child-wife last
week, the sprightly Cyprienne Of 'Di-
vorcons" who. il will be remembered,
deceives her husband with easy flu
ency. Nothing perhaps could be more
characteristic of the subtlety Of Mrs.
Fiske's genius than the deft fashion in
which she differentiates the superficial
tarradiddling of Cyprienne from the
essential deceitfulness of Nora's make
up. Nora lies as a child lies, because
she is still a child. Denied instruc-
ton in the ways of truth by her father.
himself of morals not inpeccable," and
kept in spiritual and mental subjection
by her husband, she has never learned
the lesson Of responsibility. And it is
all there, the childishness, the weak
ness. the glib falsity. in every clever
note of Mrs. Fiske's voice, in the shift
mess of the eyes, in her whole sugges-
ton.
The get-up is clever in the extreme.
with its girlish coiffure. little rose
stuck in the belt, simple blue gown, and
Mrs. Fiske with Ibsen's Keep the
change" to the cabman as she enters,
at once sets the key to the character.
one laughs as she gayly tells Krog
stadt she forged the check, without
the slightest idea of her responsibility.
and as one felt her gradual awakening
to the realities about her, her growing
terror amid them. one felt inclined to
say with the man behind. Poor kid"
Throughout her Nora is as pointedly
clever. as subtle, as compellingly con-
vincing as anything Mrs. Fiske has
done here and should not by any means
be missed.
Mr.. Bosworth does a very sincere
and effective Krogstadt and Belle Bohm