The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-26
MRS. FISKE'S PLAY
"Rosmersholm, Prophesied to Become Her Greatest Role,
 Produced Here.
WELL ACTED EMOTIONS
Ibsen Truly Interpreted and Beauti- fully Staged by Fis&e's Man
 haitian Company.

one of his "Rosmerholm," which, per- haps. is the most Ibsenesque of all Gin that it is considered by many to be that playwrights greatest effort) should have been booked for the Hy- perion theater for Christmas day. See ing Ibsen plays, like reading Brown ing, is apt to involve far too much mental concentration in getting the writer's full meaning; and the suggest ed picture at the final moment of sus- pense in "Rosmersholm, when world bounded couple are seeking that qu'et, that peace, and that freedom from the misinterpretations and the stilted con- ventionalities of this life that comes
 with a common death in mill race, Is not just the food for thought that holiday audience loves best to carry away with it.
 But the production of "Rosmersholm'
 was a commendable one in more ways than one The first glance at the pro gram could not but give a little thrill of pleasure to those who know of pres ent stage conditions. There one read Produced under the direction of MT. and Mrs. Fiske' Oh that there might be to-day more among the happily married couples on the stage, both ready and willing to do their work side by side in perfect harmony.
 A chance to see and hear Mrs. Fiske is always a treat It is indeed a treat in thes9 days to find one woman on the stage who realizes that quiet intensity is far more dramatic force than the so-called "emotional' scenes, with their rantings and pacings back and forth; one woman who realizes that, if at any time, we human creatures are apt to take the crises of life quietly, with, a terrible inward struggle, but
 With the least possible outward osten- tation In other words she is an ac- tress of the "old school" an actress born and an actress developed with years of training, not graduated into the ranks of stardom with leaps and bounds
 Mrs Fiske has stated that "Rosmers- holm' appeals to her more than any play in her present repertoire It must be said, judging from yesterdays per Gormance, that she and the pay arc admirably adapted to each other. It has been prophesied in some quarters that it is destined to become the big role of her career The cast is d small one with but six characters. The. three foremost John Rosmer, of Rostiers- holm, formerly the clergyman of the parish; Rebecca West, in charge of osmcr's household; and Rector Kroll,
 Rosmer's household; and Rector Kroll, the longest roles on the stage to-day. These characters, which are played by Bruce McRae, Mrs FisKe and Fuller Mellish, were almost continuously on the stage all the time. They did ex- cellently, every one,
 The story of the plot and tho les sons to be drawn breathe always of Ibsen. It is the story again of the in- nocent man of determination baiIicd in his well-meant efforts 70 better hu- manity politically by the conventions of family and society and the self-center- ed passion of woman whom he be- lieves to be entirely in accord with his life plans. He gives up the political views, that his family, an old one, has held for generations before him, that he may join the ranks of the liberal party and he announces himself as de> termined to change his religious be- llefs all that he and she might labor together for humanity in common cause as eo-worl1ers, side by side. For that reason alone he had asked her to stay at his house rot long before the death of his late wife.
 Suspicious are aroused about the wo- man, Rebeeca West, by the rector Through his media tion she makes il terrible confession and at that scene
 in the play Mrs Ftske showed herself a resourceful actress She tells how she had had an infinite passion for the man, Rosmer; how she worked on the already diseased mind of his .invalid wife in such a way that she believed her childlessness would ever stand be- tween her husband and she and their true happiness until at last the poor woman had thrown herself in a mill race 10 drown; ana how with the wife |out of the way, she herself began to fell the gentler subtler heart soften
 ing emotions of a true love for the man to whom before her passion alone had led her
 The result is ineVitable-eVen though he loves her (and in the end he is fore ed to confess he does)-they cannot macry. The ageless, suited convenient alitles of society would make such thing impossible. Rosmer asks her if she can prove that her feeling toward him have truly changed by walking the same bridge into the millrace that she had deluded the poor wife into doing That she can do and he In his love for her, goes down the whirlpool too
 Mention must be made in and just criticism of the acting of George Arliss as Uric Brendel m eccentric tutor ot the bOYhood days of Rosmer with smooth sounding. vodmlnous saying and expressions that injected a reliev- ing element of humor into the play in a masterful way. The others in the cast werd minor parts played by AL bert Pruning and Florence Montgom- cry They were Peter Mortensgard the editor of the Beacon, and Madame Hell seth housekecper at RosmershoIu The scenic part of the production was admirably executed both as to lights and as to the settings.
 The play was given here matinee and evening yesterday. It will go 10 Providence and ultimately to New York. Whether # will suit the tastes of Goth am, where good plays fail and poor | plays as often succeed. is as always questionable. There was some annoy- i ing prompting yesterday which showed that the actor-folks were not quite let ter perfect as yet but that is defect that such experienced plays as the Manhattan company will have no diffi- culty in overcoming, even though the roles are exceedingly long ones
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