The sun., 1910-05-23
| HEBBEL PLAY IN ENGLISH
.vtPY NIGDiLENE' A SOMBRE
DOWESTIC TRAGEDY.


N,s,ier.rh Hebhelis a German dramatist
, ,hs middle wears of the nineteenth
-.,riry Who happens 10 be Just now
A.-y much .n the thoughts Of his CON-
..,riots Tie was a signihoant writer
=, the ,.uttre Ut his day. but had been
.,r,.i Forgotten when the Hebbel Oult
',-,a .r,. .Nr,trpce in Germany. Il was
-.,-s or fs.s, o Iocal manifestation Of this
-,rI,, r7 ~ the dramatist that gave
". Y.rs ,- arst opportunity 20 hear
40 of .n. H.obel dramas in English
,,,lrIl ... theatre last night. Julius
g,rp A. his associates In the Peoples
Trse stage society are said to have been
,tIs 10 pruiuCe the English translation
,,r,ugh the generosity og a German
,.msr,can aimirer Of the dramatist.
,ho wantri his play introduced here in
the vsruarular. Hebbels earlier Judith
/. sa.d 10 be- impending. although there
!. cause Tor cOngratulatiOn that theatre
ser. arenot threatened with the authors
Nibahnrcn drama.
Mary MagCialene' was played Last
nishf in the translation of Richard Ofnsr
,nd Rosa IaddOn for the first time in
EnaHsh. Hedwig Reicher played Clare
ma performance Of the work in German
=, he Irving Place Theatre under the
eunsilship Of DR.. Baumfeld three years
tgo.
L il quite conceivable that MARY
MAgdalene.' which its author called
bourgeois tragedy. seemed revolutionary
amid the rest Of the artificial and bombas-'
nc PLAYS that were produoed in Islt-the
year that gave the second notable Hebbel
p.ay 10 the stage. II has been usual 10
describe this time a. the silver age Of the
German drama a. Il sUcceeded the golden
years that produced such Titans as Schil-
kr and Goethe; but 10 other than German
ninds Il seems grossly hattering 20 allow
such a period any more valuable designA-
ton than the black walnut epoch Of the
Ieutonic drama Only Hebbel's works
survive from those days andlthsir renais-
sAnce is due rather 20 the excessive en-
tkusiasm of some admirers and 10 the
poverty Of the contemporary stage than
b. any germ Of Immortality in these
dramas.
Il Is customary in praiSinE Hebbel to
describe the feeling Of bis plays A. modern.
That claim is made with particular iervor
Cor tho one acted last night. MOdernity
in older PLAYS IL very hkslv TO be tne re-
suit Of the interest Of the hour. When
tn mind q the public 10 inclined in a
csrtain direction any author who Ia the
similar state Of mind Ia likely TO he ac-
counted very modern in his viewpoint.
Hsbbel 10 modern in that he shows in
,.s play a desire 70 picture the suffering
~ 'hs lOwly a. he sees IL and sympathizes
With Il, He does paint this picture with
su much direCtncas and power that he
trluugs In tho same category with haupi-
mann and Sudermann, who came years
a''rr him. Neither the former IN his
r-ian mountain villages nor the latter
o.. the cold fats Of eastern Prussia ever
'..rd more misery OF took more delight
.H u.Wctiug 10 in an is unrelisved gloom
r.u li-hbel. who dates from half a oen-
l..y sarler. To this extent he IL modern
n '.~hng. although bis dramatic form
u hs day His long speeches-Of a
suC'h lntolerable now-prOcsaim the age
u. Mary MAgialene" as strongly az the
purely rhetoncal character of most of
o.. dialogue. The heroine. for instance.
ra.s, .u,r as frankly for talks sake as
20 H1rkdUnR did in London A-sur-
aaor and even has the time to ad0rn
n.'h gems % fancy the description ot
'T'aIn very personal and private inq-
dents ln her hfs over which she should be
,yu.c'ad TO pass a. rapidly as possible.
:. 90 an, the mOdernity of Mary Magyia-
sle' 10 chiefly oOntainsd in its unss.iiish
1e,iIcation 20 the apOthsUsis Oi gloom In
,hr. over middle classes. Ana art which
u.r.,ly aims % produce gloom n not the
Lghtst form of art.
Ihe domestic tragedy a. the pro-
gramme Describes IL. moves quickly ~
IL climax. It's action passes In q small
tuwn In Germany. so far A. the charlc-
t.rs Indicate the whereabouts Of this
t.vn Il might be on Mars. The whole
r.v i a. much detached from any
'.ugAphioal suggestion a., for instance.
'Autony' OF any u the Dumas plays
a t1is same period
Au honest carpenter sees his son ar
r.-'.d for a theft which 10 II subsequently
-ruwu he did not commit But the
stock and disgrace Kill the mother. who
10 always spoiled her son. The stern
f'.sr-he Is almost 10 hard ~ n be
. G.. I'd . stern parient--aays that he is
: r -urprised that the boy has turned
IE. . INlri ~ uln uNiTa AlF INV pAttuFu
u hos daughter beCluse he does not
bow -HD has been seduoed by the lover
v.p after the arrest Of her brother
Promptly refuses 10 marry her on the
ground that union with such a family
would Disgrace him.
Mlhl- l.r proceeds swiftly in spite Of the
luug sps~Hh"- = the father. who pOs-
s"--., The faculty for speaking in a
degree ul' makes him as much Of a
t.Ia - Wu'GH Hs h uncOmpromising
IT bis views ~ O. right and wrong. There
De- symbolism IN this act too 10 prepare
a." audience for what u n come. The
mother, who has just recovered from a
long Illness. goes tU church tO give thanks
a.d wears The wedding gown she had
ts.ur % I-" ~ a shrOud. The new
grave digger tells her on the way he 10
leasing 10 grave for somebody. he knows
'uf whom. bat fOr the next In the
~" who shall die 10 her demise,
' "l t- o. WAS. DccasiOned less incOn-
'...o" fusg ~ might have.
..a ~.UUud aCt converts the master
s. '"l.Uf1 a more inveterate talking
r- 'Ean the first and reveals the
'-ng- Ui Lf- daughter under the old
'". .f.rear o. XIII himself II there should
" "'|' any csgrace 90 her who is
r .u.y comfort. The jewels are
.rHi and her brOther's innocencs
.. -.-H. but that only means 20
HH>.lNl" rescue from her posi-
. u.fl-es the hand of an old
-h" may compel her seducer
ar now thai the family name /
ra"i from shame
.- Hrt has two scenes. In the |.
ar- % rhTiiliugiy human appeal 1
..' -f.i.H'r In which the ruined girl I
'.n.s'- ..w everything IN the world /
Pm" 1911 .U give her his name He |
''.'- af be- falls too IN the ruin |
'. ..-. ...N- 90 the house OG the old /
Desperate AZ her lovers re- /
'. .rry her Clara kills herself. /
HE..Ha no. aa.Aaaana 49, \