Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-31

stage like a madwoman, Miss Neither
sole employed a softer, more insidious
method. 1t was a wayward wanderer
weary of the world, yet loath to give
il up, that stole back to the old hearth
stone and listened with a wistful and
half believing wonder to the talk OF
Pastor Heffterdingt. / doubt If MISS
Nethersole's impersonation would have
satisfied Herr Sudermann and his wor-
thy nationalist coterie across seas, but
to me she was a more lovable, as well
as pitiable Magda than the traditional
and convention version Of the part.
Mr.. Perry was too obviously youth
full in the earlier scenes for the part or
the father, despite his brave long
beard. In the last act he played with
a considerable degree of feeling, yet
failed quite to achieve the peculiar
blending of evangelical severity and
paternal affection which makes the
character one of the real creations of
the modern drama. Mr.. Mills was
virile Lutheran clergyman-a part
which, as drawn, does great credit to
Sudermann's tolerance. In play
partly devoted to an attack upon es-
! tablished institutions. the playwright
recognized the sincerity and nobility of
character in one of their stanchest up
holders. 1t is a concession to fact that
Ibsen, with all his genius, was not al
ways able to make.
! Mr. Hunter. as the councillor, slightly
! overdid the polish of his villain. Gwen
Sudermann has villainsD The man is
not immune to vague throbbings of
| conscience although far gone on the
easy road to empty respectability and
whited- sepulchre prosperity Mr.. Hun
! ter did play him true to type, however,
| i'm the moment when Won Keller strives
/ to protect the name of the woman he
! has wronged and then, with scarce
/ thought, agrees to marry her. For Won
! Keller was a gentleman-none more so
as well as scoundrel.
The minor roles were capably, If at
moments perfunctorily, filled. The
! staging preserved the German rural
atmosphere, so necessary to the proper
) apprehension of the work of Suder-
mann or of his interesting school,
While "Sapho" shows the signs OF
wear and tear, "Magda" lives on. Per-
haps that is because, with all its over
dazzling contrast between the num-
drum and the garish, a cruel home
and far more cruel world, it really
seeks to solve the problem which 1t
raises. You and / may or may not
agree with it's philosophy, or its out
come, but we are bound to honor the
honesty of the thinker who has laid
it before us. Ibsen's Ghosts" left us
plunged in quiescent gloom. Suder-
mann's "Magda" has its CLEANS of hope
the fidelity of a mother to her child,
the devotion of a lover who forgot self
in the fulfllment Of a great and a
noble office, the stalwart, If blind
idealism of the old soldier who bat
tied to the death for his dream of fam
ilv honor. Sudermann could not have
found these things in Nietzsche, or in
the philosophic camp in which he
trained. Perhaps they are the lineal
/ German heritage from greater than
either-the mighty mind that dreamed
of Faust" and set the German tongue
ahame with the passion of immortal
lyrics The spirit of Goethe still
broods over the German drama. On
Sudernann, as we'll as Hauptman, 1T
has breathed with the ,abounding and
astounding vigor of the crescent twen-
tieth century symbolism.
Lockwood and Bryson, well known
vaudeville players of Los Angeles, who
are Mrs. Divid McClune and Mrs,
George Ragland in private life, will
leave today for Oakland to resume
their tour on the Orpheum circuit.
Daniel Bowles, who is at the Orpheum
this week, will conclude his perform
ance Sunday night. Five new acts will
come next week, only three holding
over, owing to the presence of the
Orpheum road show in the north, which
complicates the bookings.
William H. Thompson will not change
his act at the Orpheum next week to
"Waterloo," as expected, but will con-
| tinue in pride of the Regiment" his
present vehicle Mr.. Thompson's work
in the part Of the old veteran-game-
keeper is a superb bit of character act
ing which has aroused unusual atten-
ton among all who admire artistic,
painstaking impersonation.
Eva Taylor, who headlines the COM
ing weeks Orpheum bill, is a very for
tunate creature, in that her husband
writes her sketches for her and plays
| i'm them as leading man. Thus royal
ties and one salary extra are kept
strictly in the family, the while Miss
| Taylor has her leading man right there
| all the time. His name is Lawrence
Grattan, and he has reputation equal
to hers, if anyone happens to ask.
Bishop &, Co. gave their regular
! Christmas theater party to the office
employees at the Orpheum last night,
about fifty being present.
! So popular has been Gertrude Nelson
Andrews new play, Through a Win