The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-08

nervous" says ]. M. Barrie in his new
comedy What Every Woman
Knows ''of remarkable women" 1t
is an instinct, and all the remarkable
women know it and spend half their
lives in concealing that they are re-
markable. Nora plays the doll-wife
as she has played the dOll-child be-
causes she loves her husband as she
loved her father and wishes to realize
their ideal of her. 1t is part of her
self sacrifice-the first duty of woman
hood, as taught by precept and in
stinct-just as much as the forgery by
which she sought to spare both her
husbands and her fathers lives. Al
ways she had a mind above such
silIinesses. She loved her father and,
was willing to play with him, but, she
adds naively, that she likes to slip
away and talk to the servants who
We're more entertaining. She loves
her husband. so that she is ready to
die rather than have him take upon
himself the consequences, as she
blindly suppOseS he will choose to do.
of her crime, but she enjoys talking
to DIR. Rank who treats her like
woman rather than a plaything, and,
unconsciously recognizes her intelli-
gence. Madame Nazimova is the only
actress who has played the role in
Topeka, at least, who let the audience
see that Nora the child-wife had
soul which if sleeping was tossing in
its sleep. And so she is one of the
few actresses who has reconciled the
Nora of the first act with the Nora of
the last. In her hands the character
is completely convincing even TO Mere
Man.
AS for Nazomiva's personal charm,
volumes have been written upon it and
it is still unexpressed. There are peo-
pie who say she is not beautiful
but they are the people whose idea
of feminine beauty is the blonde
IPnnR a oh
a spray of Easter lilies in her hands.
Nazim Ova was fortunately not handi-
capped by such mere prettiness. She
has beauty of rare and alluring
type of endless variety, piquancy and
fascination. In the first act of THE
Dolls House" she is a beautiful, low
ing, wilful teasing, coquettish child.
In the last act she is a beautiful,
disillusioned and saddened woman.
But throughout she has a charm in
describable, loveliness ineffable.
Topeka was not given an oppor-
tunity to appreciate fully the art of
this young Russian Jewess. To do
this one must see her in at least two
roles, and then one realizes the justice
of the unanimous verdict of the New
York critics who have named her the
most versatile actress on the English
speaking stage. AS Hedda Gabler
Madame Nazimova is entirely different
in appearance, in voice. in gesture in
temperament from Nora and although
this is the true test of the actors art
it is one that few of our famous players
can stand. AS one New York critic
has expressed it when we go to see the
average actress as Juliet or Desde-
mona, or Nora or Hedda we see
rather Juliet, Desdemona, Nora or
Hedda as that particular actress It
is Nazimovas greatest attribute that
she entirely sinks her identity in that
of the role.
Her foreign accent is. of course. still
in some degree, an obstacle to Madame
Nazimova's art. One must listen in
tently to understand her and at that
But Mrs. Fiske has proven that an &C
treSs doesn't necessarily have to enun-
ciate distinctly to be understood-that
there are more essential ways of max
ing ones meaning clear, and that ones
vocal peculiarities may even lend
plquancy to ones art. And of these 9TH
er ways,-the modulations and inf1ec-
tons of remarkably expressive voice,
the INFINITE variety of gesture and pose
the constant play of facial expression
Ala Nazimova is a past mistress
The company which SUPPORTS
Madame Nazimova on this brief tour
is not of unusual excellence. Mr.. Dod-
son Mitchell, Mr.. Brandon lyman Mr.
Cyril Young and Miss Florence Fisher
are in the leading roles and while we
are so glad to have Madame Nazimova
under any conditions that nobody is
saying much about it, the fact remains
that their acting was not in any way
distinguished
The two little girls who support
Madame Nazimova in that charming
scene between Mora" and her chill
dren were adorable and much more nat
ural than their elders in the support.
A F. J.