The sun., 1908-05-17

| was hs an actor Soff II IL an instructive
Rxperisnce Ia cit alta professional matinee
and ncte the players own Judgments on
. performance--of sach b play as 'Irene
| Wyeheriey - for instance. Often they are
! q complete reversal OF popular Judgments.
In sfrene WyoherleyS the players them-
selves came away 10 talk OF Walter .Hamp-
den,S splendid performance Of the oaddish
lover, Q character that could win little
| sympathy from anybody. Edwin Arden
impersonation of tho husband did not
strike them az In the least remarkable:
they know what GOULD be accomplished
by makeup sut that Mr.. Hampdsu
came through his thanklees role with 90
much sympathy main tanned. that he con-
trived 10 keep the character human and
interesting. they know from bitter ex-
| perience In similar parts was little less
than q triumph OF skill. Yet this was Lrob-
ably complete reversal of the judgment
formed by the average theatsegoeq on the
| merits Of the two performances.
ACTOR proof Is the somewhat self-con-
temptuous term tho players apply TO oer-
tain parts. Nora In "A Dolls House 10 one
| OF theee parta-for two acts. In the fret
two cots few women who have triSd the role
| At@su AuitOUS W wiz PEh5ro. Vo pEhtoou
Naximova extravasantly, and she deserved
tt-for two acts. But the last act 10 the test
OF this character 10 it's entirety. tho teet Of
the actress's power TO get the full meaning
and message Of the play across. And In
this last act Nazimova was hardly moro
suooessful than Miss Barrymora Neither
eonvinoingly awoke To sslf-conscicus indi-
viduality. neither sounded the depths Of
intellectual revolution. But Mrs. Fisks
did. And so Mrs. Fiske's Moro. II it.wss
far from pleasing us with the adorable doll
witohery Of Nasimova's. 10 It was lees strik-
ing 10 the eye and lees captivating to other
senses as we'll, was In the end by far the
Amer performance because II was finally
true to the message Of the play. Here. In
one and the same character. we have an
illustration Of our proneness to estimate
acting solely by its obvious emotional
effect. apart from the meaning Of the play,
and to praise that player most whose part
most pleasss us. For IL was a. the new
Moro Of Act III. that Mrs. Fiske triumphed;
It was as the old Nrya Of the early acts that
We crowned Nasimova.
But to say that Nazimova has not the
intellectual depth and sincerity Of Mrs.
Fiske 10 not to declare that she doesn't
know how to act. Il remained for Boston
to make that astonishing declaration. She
has perhaps a fatal facility. Her technique
10 so varied and fluent that 1t may be abe
80 nv 49, esSa se .h , III .. ~ uSiss % =. has s
aoss 80. " sa,.o .L,. ~ - ~. 49,"
- soJs ss~se... T. - a,,;.s ~ 80 s ~ ss Srs
~ $500. -. =. ~ a. -. ~ - .rs..sy
she. o ' NJ" r;..... s Ae' "0'" y
M NJ ,s. mnr ae,,ia .. ,, a,s.,,.,s..
e. ,.s.S 80 $500 .sn...s 49, s,,"h
.s'w :. 49, " U.Ssn 80 UaSa ~;.ha.,.
.r;s;n .aohn;..I rssa,,rnss ~ ~, Sa,,t,t
!. e., NJ a,a.,.,. .c,,,S g. ;,a..n". hs,,s
a,s;,,.s ~ .,~,;sS .,,;.,,a.. .sa oh,,,.,-
bsnSahsS. - H;,Ja $40. 80 ~. ;,..s:,
80, IL, -, .,.;n al s,o,,r .hs ,;rs.
- s;sn;ecsns -. M srnrsss;on NJ r,svs,
oa,,,d 49,. s,wnes.sd ,hs hs,,n,in. av.r-
tans. :, s,,ir;t,,.1 o,,,sr.s,,or, ~ aTh.
Mss,.r p,ildsrs s.v. ona ~vith . ,schr;,,,.
a. s,,h,,s ara oon,rollsd that I, co,,,d r,sss
,ha mi sh,e., att;t,,da m the ho,,v aivn,Ncant
and s,,reharse the ,onsa ~ tbs vcsca wi,h
hidds, roean;ngs And no n,svsr ,o,,id
raap sacb ..r.s,,t, mart ty,,a in svsrv last
da.sil 10 a central conoantion ujtho,,t :
tschn;oua .,stainsS a. peIi an subtle Not
- ~ "a .cto Th,. vo,,sn bss tha
tnov,adea IN her verv an eertins and droon-
inc lsshssl Iet ina law the flattevinq unction
20 our .o,, that We In New york nsvar sa;d
shs d,dn,t
R,,t now Gar did wa go N s.s her bscausa
she knova how 10 aetp How Tar did Bceton
stav away because n thought sbe doean,tp
Md wa not 90 chiefly beoa,,s, we like herr
MA Ros,on NOT cb.sav stav awnv because
!, d,.l;lrsd her, How far did the nh. rvn
~ tachnioa, pro,cienoy and Of such a elram.
=. .Tba Master Builder draw ma or reneI
Rostcn3 Al.si probably not far In e,th.r
cas. Acting has. as the plavera realise
h..t.r thar re do passed bsyond ths noirt
rhsre the actor vas a sort of orator n,st;ro
= a.o n.,;Ioou.rt annseI ,o h;s .udi.nc.
~ r.oy,n~ the NAV aIong bv a .ar;s. ~
,a,nhs and ny;sn AIreadv syen nsv,d
Warse,d vondsrfu, as ia hi. t.ohpic,,s
.rd ,r,,a b;a conoen,Ion ~ cba,aotsr s,,fysrs
srnr,' ,,,s vs that ars bui,t on tb;a a sr,,o,,tcd
IA r,;ncir,,s Rut we AZ a puh,;o bsvs No,
oarn,,sts,v .nrooressed We arc s,i,,
~. nrons q, i...L sor o,,y lauyh ar our a.,
snd e. that onIv: 10 Admire a yoios ,hst
.hr,,,, saca that nleaaea.s 10 n,,t an srs
m, oanar.. .sd vsius on the mere triois ~ ma ss-