The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-09

WHeh Mlhiie MdputIu flSke unuer-
takes the Interpretation of any role
one may expect the un-
usual; when she undertakes the de-
lineation of an Ibsen character. Il is
highest art that is presupposed for
her patrons.
In Rosmersholm, presented by the
Manhattan Company at the Grand
last evening, Mrs. Fske runs the full
gamut of her splendid genius. Deal
ing at 1t undeniably does with a flag
rantly unpleasant phase of life there
might be moments of violent revul-
sion, which instead, become moments
of a sort tense of tense sympathy.
Rebecca West, she is i'm the play,
Rebecca the insidous, the alluring.
1.-THE emancipated; men, women and
affairs are but pawns upon the
chess board of her ambition and un-
holy love, checkmated every one. A
Ifree-thnker and a revolutionist. sho
comes into the house of John Rosmer,
apparently on an errand of mercy:
in reality to claim the man for the
cause of a too broad emancipation
and herself. Pernicious as is the pur-
pose of her pursuit, and relentlessly as
every obstacle is pushed into oblivion,
the marvel is that never once does
she lose sight of the goal--until It is
reached. John Rosmer, heir TO a
Thousand years of conservatism and
,plutocracy, priest of the church
and a scholar, under her sway be-
comes an apostate, renouncing the
laws of God and man. Then,
when the cup of success Is about
to be pressed to her lips, the great
unselflsh master passion Is born in
her being, and the untrammeled will
iof the woman is broken.
| There follows the confession. the
disillusionment of Rosmer, his return
to the traditional beliefs of his faith
Iers, the barring of her wOman's heart
to him, his realization OF ne rl'N.
| ity of the task before him-the work
of reconciling dogma with free
thought-and his final supreme test of
her love. And so after their spiritual
marriage, they are swept by the storm
OF human emotion into the mill-race
where Bianci, invalid wife of Rosmer
and Rebeccas unhappy victim, cut
the cord OF earthly existence; the
man, that he might claim the soul
OF the woman denied him in the earth
life; the woman TO expiate and re-
claim his lost innocence.
a morbid climax It is, TO be sure,
but one which portrays the distortion
of tn emind by error, Jealous though
1t be; and by sin, whether its object
he right or wrong. When Rebecca
and Rosmer solved the problem of
of the mind by error, jealous though
life by obliterating life they seek the
abyss of weakened morality.
; One might easily believe the char
acter of Rebecca West was written
around the personality Of Mrs. Fiske.
There Is no iota of rant or cant, or
luridness in all the makeup Of the
star: she never strides, smirks, or re-
sorts to hysteria; hers Is strictly the
art of repression, emotion held in
allegiance, and 50 all the more poig-
nant in its intensity. There is a
ttrailing upward infection to her cent
iences, giving a peculiar haunting ef-
feet, for the reason that we Amer
leans are prone 10 use the
period rather than the interroga
tion point and accent every other
Iword. Complaints come to the man
agement from all sides of Mrs
Fiske's rapid and low delivery, almost
a monotone in act. The criticism is
surely a just one, for unless you hug
the orchestra pit, the only way to
hear comfortably Is to carry ear
drums or an electrophone. The star,
hoover, goes on in a supree indif
ference OF the proletarilt public
She considers a great favor Is
) being conferred on those fortunate
! enough to witness her productions,
. in consequence of which they should
!; be humble and submissive. Other
wise they can use their return trip
, ticket toward the outer lobby
The genius Of Bruce McRae Is or
the caliber of Mrs. Fishes own,
and as John Rosmer he never fails
to reach the heights to which her
flights attain. His work Is strong
clean cut and human, besides which
he Is the pOsscssor Of most attract
i've stage presence n thing TO be recll'
| oned with i'm no small degree.
Those who saw Mrs. Fiskes "Leaf
lKleshna" will remember George Ar,
liss, who had the role OF Raol, tn,
, degenerate son of an aristocrati,
; French family. He Is unique to thu
!. point of being abnormal, especially
as regards facial expression AM
q general muscular control. In Ros
mersholm, he Is visionary and ag
= itator, the sort that hands out Ideal
y and ideas with one hand while Dor
. lrowing ten pound note from a.
ierstwhile friend with the other 4
a mn-over-at-the-heels philosopher q
- the public house type, he adds i'm
= measurably to te strength of the east
:, There is genuine regret that he
=" not given wider and more length
, scope for such originality.
- The brother-ln-law of Rosmer an
leader of the conservatives Guile
Mellish) probably has more line
than anyone in the cast. He handle
lthen In n tedse, positive STYLE. we