New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-29
DRAM
.Irs. Fish'r an "PHIars of So
GCty," Lgceum Theatre.

Mrs. Ffske was cordially received AZ the
i.yceum Theatre last night by an audience
that gave hearty applause also 10 the iosen
play in which she appeared. The piece
was we'll east. and nearly every actor made
some special appeal TO the house by some
skilful portrayal of character.
or Mrs. Fiske and her well known claims
upon public attention. what is there to be
said that has not been said a hundred
times before? She has played many parts
and has a general admiration. Some
of her characters have been in plays by
Ibsen. Sine has been seen in "A Dolls
House" in "Hedda Gabler." I'm "Rosmers-
holm She now adds to her list Iona Hes
sci, in Pillars Of Society"
Mrs. Fiske is always interesting. The
play in which she now appears is not al
ways So IN the last act fo- instance. Il
drags and wcaries. Perhaps il Is GacrileEe
to say this OF any handiwork % 1.-THE Mas
ter" but it nas to- be said
1bsen completed this play in the summer
81 1877. IL was first performed at Copen-
hagen, the date OF the representation being
November Is In that year. II has been seen
many times on the Continent. Its first per
fOrmance in English was at a London
matinee about three years after the Dan
ish production. II reached the United
States in 1891, five years before il reached
France II has frequently been acted he-e
in German, and occasionally in English
It is kHoE IN that there are Ibsenites who
think that everything THE master wrote
is great" and is rich with poetic beauty.
but all their prophets do not share this
ecStatic belief There is Mr.. William
Archer-he makes the most o; difficult
undertaking, but he SHES q, Pillars OF So
ciety." lie has said in his Introduction 10
mis- own edition Of this play. that " Pill
lars OF Society has nowhere taken per
manent hold Upon the theatre He is sure
that the reason is not far 10 seek. for by
the time the English. American and French /.
public had fully awakened to the existence
Of Ibs5n the dramatist himself had so far
outsroWn the phase OF his development 7
marked by pillars Of Society that the play J
seemed commonplace and old-fashioned. II .
exactly suited the German public of the SOS. .
il was exactly on a level with their theat-
ricaI Intelligence. But it was above the
theatrical intelligence Of the Anglo meri-
can public, and-I had almost said-below /.
that Of the French public Possibly .
its time may be vet 20 come in England and .
America. a thoroughly we'll mounted and .
we'll acted revival might now appeal TO
that large class Of playgcers which stands .
on very much the same intellectual level
on which the German public stood in the
lss0's"
But from this high horse M Archer leaps
TO apOlogetic ground. He finds Pillars
the least characteristic OF Ibsen's works.
The author he confesses. has been almost
successful! in divesting It of poetic charm"
In pillars there is nothing that rises
above the commonplace. What, then, shall
they that are not Ibsenites finu in these
four acts? When the CHIEF apostle OF the
creed acknoW lodges that Pillars contains
nothing that rises above the commonplace"
and that "LOnt HesseI" is IAN intellectual! /
cunstructicl rather than a lfvnK /
breathing woman" he is 10 be appaude,l
for his cando- and thanked for saving other
pens from the trouble Of mixing forth the
demonstrates.
Last night Pillars OF Society had is
thoroughly we'll mounted and well acted
revival" But it remained a commonplace
play. II the theatrical intelligence OF the
German pubic was on this level i'm the,
sos. it is easy 10 understand why Pillars
had more than twelve hundred perforrna noes
in Germany and Austria before the year
1900
But there is little 10 he gained by dis
cus$ion of the Ieve; OF theatrical inteiIi-
sence I'm that publ or in thu There is a
curious harl. on the par. of Ibsenites in
giving themselves over to quests for III
Seric charms and profundities which. too
seldom exist There is a curiou- concei4
that persons who not fiIled with praises
OF this writer Of plays are unable 10 under
stand him But the truth is that Ibser is
easily understood. that his intentions arr
The acting las nigh was very good The
acting In plays by Ibsen is usually good.
Actors are interested in these plays because
they present such opportunities for cha
Attenuation But actors are seldom the
best Judges of PLAYS, however adapt they
NAV he i'm judging parts. There is very
little foT Mrs. Fiske to do in pillars Fut
some of the other players have a good deal
10 do. at any rate a good deal to say Mr.
Hobrook Blinn has the PRINCIPAL mart in
this piece But his Karsten Beruick Wa
rather more like a New York promoter
than Norwegian shipbuilder Mr.. Henry
Stephenson. as Dr. Rorlund tho school
master. was excellent. He seemed 10 be
the real thing But Mr.. Chadwick as
Tonne>en. was too much of "A cockuev
dude 10 suggest any type indigenous 10 I
Norway. lie said "daeown'' and .tseovr,'.
for down and town just as they do Who
are born within the sound Of Bow Bells
one OF the best bits was the acting Of Mr.
sheldon Lewis a. Nuue. the foreman
y Iad named Gregory Kelly was good as
Olaf. Bernicks young son. He spoke with
understanding and carried himself nodestIv
the "smartuess" which il the
usual faul' OF stage boys Miss Merle Mad
dern, young relative of Mrs F'iske. an
peared as Doria Dorf. Mr. Fuller NeIlisb
has been seen 10 more advantage IN other
characters than the one he worke1 with
last night Rumme! Nj. Edward Mackav
was well placed as Johan
The piec" was we'll mounted and. bv and
large. well acted II has amusing moments.
for even Ibsen can smile when he chooses
Ii Will probably fill the theatr. for the adj
vertised two weeks. because Mrs Fiske is
In II But what sdtisfactio, this distin-
Suished artist derives from an appearance
as Iona HeSsei is not easily imagined The
part - subordinate one And the play
well. nobody will be disposed to disagree
with the opinion OF that High IbSenite. Mr..
Archer There is nothing in Pillars" that
Uses above the commonplace \. W.
CAST or PILLARS or SOCIETY,",
karsteu B"ruirk. .......-. .Holbrook Flinn
Nfs l~Tul' &c. Virginia Kline