The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-14
MRS. CAMPBELL,s HEDDAGABLER.
An Interesting Character study wrctehedIy
Supported.


Mrs. Patrick Campbell made known her
idea Of Heddd GabLer at the Lyric Theatre
yesterday for the first time in this city,
There was no great public commotiOn oveT
the event: indeed at the evening perform
ance the theatre was scarce two-thirds
full, At the evening performance. too. Mrs
Campbell's daughter. who was cast to play
MIRA. Elected. was under the weather. an
understudy assuming the role-one Of the
most important in the drains.
II may be said at noe that n a whole
this performance Of -Hedda Gabler' wa
pretty poor and deserved no more patron
age thar it got. Mrs. C~ampbell's company
Ia quite inadequate TO the task OF playing
Ibsen and her stage management In Ian
guild and peri unctory. Shaw once said
that the average English actor in an Ibsen
part 10 constantly trying TO reducs tt TO q
stage type" with which he IL familiar.
So MIR. Kent last night reduced TsSEnGn
almost TO the silly asa type, made him
an impossible fool. And naturally Thed,
the true heroine or the play, was poorly
enough depicted. IL was a languid. o
or third rate performance OF h drama in
all respects but the impersona ton OF the
star. And even that suffered severely by
the lack Of c~ontributory illusion. Ibsen
didn't write plays 70 show on a single per-
sonalitv.
Regarding Mrs CampbeIl's performance
doubtless no two persons will agree. NO.
body ever agrees about representations OF
Hedda GakIeT, which is, as Since would say.
-in It's way a sort OF a compliment.
There really seems 10 DO no crying need
at this time or in this place to go into detailed
attempt 20 explain the character or defend
our pleasure in Mrs. CampbeL's perform
ance OF il. Suffice it to say that to us she
made the character self-explanatory. so
far as one person can explain 50 many
sided a being, and in a a wholly con-
sistent with the drift OF lbsen's general
message. here as in all his plays.
A wOmaa OF the world. OF the average.
conventional world OF society. too strong
to believe In the conventions that bound
her. too much Of a coward 10 give them up.
or. rather. not strong enough to nnd other
ideals for her faith and guide that Is Heddd.
And that h why she was bored TO death.
Heavens, it IL plain enough
And II you look at IL fairly and deeply
il is not terrible. but instinct with hope
and courage. though IL 10 all s0rdid and
tragic enough there on the stage, MIS-;
Campbell's Heddd was neither the Oriental
exotic Of Nazlmova nor the Offering. icy,
pistol barrel OF Mrs. Fiske. She was a
polished woman Of the upper world, strong,
self-possessed. %fastidious and terribly
bored.
Her Hedda was infinitely pathetic. in
finiteIy incapable Of compromising why
brave little Thea. who broke the Oonven-
tional moral law, was the real heroine Of
the day, the real master Of the situation.
She lacked almost entirely Mrs. Fishes
fine power Of setting the mere machinery
of the drama into thrilling life. OF sweep
ing along the story; and that Is an important
part of acting. But on its static side her
Heddd is a subtle. true and moving imper-
sonation, comprehensive, we'll studied,
instinct with Ibsen's meaning and Ibsen's
moral. It Is a pity she could not play It Tor
us In worthy sur roundings.