The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-01-15
LOUIS JAMES TELLS
PEER GYNT"
FANTASTIC lBsEN STORY IS Ex.
PLANNED By CLEVER ACTING
AT THE UNION.

Last evening Mssoula. ever ready
to welcome Louis James, honored that
distinguished actor by packing the
Union theater to it's utmost capacity.
Peer Gynt." the story of life
threatened with ruin by selfishness
and saved by love, was cleverly told
to the audience by the able cast with
which Mr.. James has surrounded
himself. In the telling the story lost
none of it's fascinating weirdness Of
the little Norwegian cynic who first
gave II to the world. but the words of
Ibsen received new meaning in the
acting Of Louis James. Before last
evening peer Gynt' has meant but
little to many in Missoula. Now the
career Of the imaginative youth, the
adventurer. the plutocrat, the man of
the world. the ambitious one who
dared conceive for himself a great en-
pire, and the worn-out. brokendown
man who finally finds in the heart
OF pure. good woman his kaiser
DOM" stands sharply defined.
Miss Aphie James. as "Solveig,"
displayed marked ability her part
being second to that of Mr. James
alone. THE King of the Trolls"
taken by Norman Sweet. was perhaps
next in Importance. at least insofar
as the audience was concerned.
The hero OF Peer Gynt," story
built up from the groundwork of the
folklore and tradition of the north
land is, first of ALL a boy with fan
tastic Imagination and singular
bravado, a boy who is fired with the
desire of power, who dreams of see
ing himself sitting as despot over n
kingdom.
His imagination has Mdasgft
which makes n success OF all he at
tempts. At first he only ventures the
spinning of harmless lies about his
own adventures, which he embroiders
out of the lore of the mountains, as a
jest with his mother and to enjoy the
wonder and applause Of the peasants.
Women are no less susceptible to the
influence of his cleverness But
when his mother dies he seizes his
emancipation to go on his world con-
quest. Every material success is his;
he becomes plutocrat and power;
sycophants gather as his riches multi
ply, but he finds no sincerity in these
false friends and no permanent hap
piness in his sordd wealth. They all
dissolve and maturity Is upon him
without any consolation Of recitude
He returns to the mountains of the
north and finds there the woman Sol
veig. who years before offered him
the priceless love of pure heart
She had been faithful to her love for
him her whole life long. and in her
heart he finds his true haven and
heaven. Here was my "kaiserdom."
The story of peer Gynt" is en-
broidered in tender sentiment, romp-
ing humor and, at times with fan
tastic introduction of the supernat-
ural. This last is represented by sew
eral allegorical figures. One Is the
sordid troll king. Or King Goblin,
sort of fairy Mephistopheles, who
teaches. ITO myself be enough; that
is, realize yourself by the utter salts
faction of your own will, selfish,
self-centered point If view which Peer
has unknowingly Assumed. The other
Is the spirit of final accounting, or
angel of death, who appears as pas
senger aboard ship in wild storm at
sea, and again as the button moulder,
with his ladle. who urges Peer to learn
to be myself" that is, to learn his
relation to the scheme OF life. and
to try to learn his duty instead of
merely to crafty his Will.