Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-06
.IBSEN PLAY IS
ONLY WEARISOME
HEDDA eABLER MILDLY BoRES
FASHIONABLE CROWD
Unpleasant Play Gives Harry Mes
tayer Few Opportunities to Show
His Power. Miss crawey's
Voice Seems Weak
ny BESSIE BEATTY.

III hHs5SAND hAhh -
Perhaps there is an excuse for the
acting of such a play as "Hedda Cab
ler" but If so Miss Constance Crawley
has failed to discover 1t.
The first of the literary matinees
with which the intellectually inclined
intellectually are being RECALLED was
given yesterday afternoon at the Bur-
bank theater.
"Hedda Gabler," one of Henrik Ib-
sens least pleasant plays was the
opening bill. In all of Hedda Gablers
makeup as Ibsen pictures her there
is not redeeming feature. She has
not even the chance of blaming her
weakness on circumstances. On the
bookshelf she would be little less
apt to bore people to death as she
bored herself to death, but on the stage
she is impossible.
There were rare moments in yester-
days performance when some of the
members of the company rose to
greatness. In the second act, when
Eilert Looberg is left alone with Hedda
Gabler for the first time since her
marriage he repeats her name,
"Hedda Gabler." AS Harry Mestayer
repeated that name he gave the key
note Of the act. Up to that time he had
not been on the stage, but his utter
ance of her name told completely his
relation, past and present, with Hedda
Gabler. 1t was a great moment.
Hedda Bores One
Hedda Gabler is character so thor
oughly unwholesome that it takes sew
eral deep breaths of fresh air to coun-
teract the effect. She is not frankly
bad enough to be interesting. She Is
a bore. She says she bores herself to
death and her effect on an audience is
similar to that upon herself. Miss
Crawley accentuated this in the in
terpretation of the role. Her lines were
repeated more slowly than one would
expect Hedda to speak and in the back
of the house she, as well as most of
the other members of the company,
could only be heard at intervals.
Hedda was the daughter of gen.
eral, born with a golden spoon in her
mouth and brought up in luxury. One
would naturally expect her to be
dressed in the height of fashion. Con-
stance Crawley's clothes were not
Hedda Gabler's clothes. The actress
dresses and makes up to impress her
thinness.
AS EVeryman this is eminently fit
ting, but in most other roles it is sacri-
ficing the character to a personal idea
of the artistic.
Ill Suited for Part
Constance Crawley has a personality
and strong one This personality was
the one which was revealed in her act
ing of Hedda Gabler She did not lose
| herself in the character of Ibsen's
woman and one did not feel that she
was thoroughly in sympathy with her
part.
Miss Crawley has beautiful voice
and she is a reader of no little talent.
She has demonstrated as in EVERY
man" that she is an actress of high
rank, and it is a pity that she should
portray a character for which she is
so ill suited as Hedda Gabler.
One of the truest notes in the play
was struck by Nina l.. Gleason as
Miss Julia Tesman, aunt of George
Tesman, Hedda's husband Miss Glea-
son pictured the gentle, simple hearted
soul who tried so hard to please the
wife of her well-meaning but back
boneless nephew with simple touches
that made her very real.
| Harry Mestayers work was earnest
and forceful, though his climax. the
third act, lost some of it's strength by
being approached too rapidly. Elsie
| ESmond, was beautiful Mrs. ElVested.
The role is a new one for the little
actress and it revealed possibilities in
| her.
Except for a few troublesome man
nerisms, Joseph de Grasse was well
suited to the part of Judge Brock and
bis Interpretation was sufficiently viii
lainious. His last line, my God, they
don't do that in real life" line that
is more truly characteristic of Ibsen
than any other in the play, was marred
| by a quick curtain.
The part of George Tesman the
nervous, effeminate husband of Hedda,
was played by H. j. CHM. Mr.. CHM
had a good makeup and his work was
conscientious though it lacked sim
certify.
Carol Marshall played the part of
Bertha, the servant, and gave all that
was demanded of her.
Part of the last act was much marred
by the necessary Interference of the
prompter.
The play ends happily Hedda Cab
Ter shoots herself leaving few pangs
in the hearts of those off the stage
who hear the shot. Were she Camille
one could weep; were she a Lady Mac
beth one might feel the pangs of tor
| ture which rack that tool of ambition
of Shakespeares creation, but she is
| IL I. to-. Ill