Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-16
NAZlMOVA IN
'HEDDA GABLER'
GLOOM AND DOOM HEAVY
ONES PLAY
is DIFFERENT FROM
USUAL INTERPRETATION
Russian Actress Achieves Effects of
Arch Wickedness by Subtle Art
istry of Voice and Expression.
Audience is Divided
BY LEMuEL PARTON

The audience which witnessed
"Hedda Gabler'' at the Mason opera
house last evening was divided into
camps, as there are two distinct con-
ceptions of Hedda. One is the IAN
guldly saturnine creation of Miss Ellz-
abeth Robins and the other is the su-
pernally wicked arch-tiend of Nine.
Nazimova. The writer of this has the
latter conception. From this point or
view, Nine. Nazimova's Hedda is one
of the greatest characterizatlonS ever
given on the American stage. Her IN
depreciation of the character is truer
than the other, because Ibsen was not
an aesthetic who invested ugliness with
the .interesse ohne interesse," which
makes it art per Sc, but rather the oh
dactic propaganda who finds the mo-
tivation for his plays in the MENUS OF
events preceding the action. In TINS
way he achieves the inevitable realism
of tragedy The realism of the otner
Hedda is merely conceptual Ihe
woman is melodramatic," said those
with whom Nine. Nazimova's Hedda
failed to find favor.
She must be melodramatic, because
every line and every incident in the
character touches the environment. IL
she had given the pistol to Lovborg
languidly, or if she had tossed the pages
of the manuscript into the fire with the
blase indifference called for by the more
aesthetic conception, she would nave
committed herself to an entirely diff
ferent and, to my mind, vastly Inferior
Interpretation. 'Hedda Gabler" is ID
sens greatest piece of work as femin-
list. The potentialities of sel1shness
and hatred are raised to the nth power
Huneker calls here the "superwoman."
Not onoly the gloom and doom of the
character but the quintessential wick
edness wrought out of the environment
demand that she be Mechanically
cruel vindictive and remoseless.
Nine. Nazimova avails herself OF
every resource of art and artifice in fol-
lowing the lines of subtle psychological
analysis of the part. There is sustained
throughout the vacuous, bitter hope
Iessness, the dead lethargy of a nature
encrusted in utter selfishness, with no
illuminating graces, no humor, no broad
humanity, faith or beatitude. 1t is the
most consistently horrible of Ibsen's
portraits, and it is limned with clair
voyant clearness in Nazimova's f1exed
and mobile expression, in every sinu
Gus movement of her body, and in the
hollow, hopeless emptiness of her
speech.
Madame Nazimova's support appears
to better advantage than in 1.-THE
Dolls House" in every character.
Brandon Tynon gives tremendously
strong portrayal of the character OF
Ebert Lovborg. His acting is intelli-
gent and he shows discrimination and
understanding to a rare degree. Mr.
Percy LyndaPs George Tesman is much
better than his DR.. Rank. His sketch
of the absorbed, unworldly biblomaniac,
oblivious to the realities about him, is
true and convincing. Mr.. Francis
Powell, who had no role in 1.-The Doll S
House." appeared in the part of Judge
Brack. Mr.. Powell shows himself to
be one of the strongest members of
Madame NaZimova's company, al
though his Judge Brack is rather more
suave and ingratiating than the usual
conception. Miss Evelyn Welding
gives an admirable characterization of
Mrs. Elvsted.
This evening Madame Nazimova will
appear in 1.-The Comtesse Coquette."
The Theatrical Treasurers' associa-
ton completed organization at a meet
ing held early yesterday morning, and
elected Robert Grayson of the Mason
opera house to membership. An emb-
lem designed by Jay Barnes, local
artist, bon vivant and press agent,
was adopted for pin.
Will Wyatt has leased the Peoples
theater for the exhibition of the
Burns-Johnson fight pictures, which
Mr.. Wyatt has secured from the San
Francisco owners of the films. The
pictures will be shown during all of
next week, three performances being
given daily.