The San Francisco call., 1910-07-07
CAST OF CHARACTERS
In Ibsen's Drama
"PfIIarS of Society"

As q giant pine on a northern hilltop
stands high above its kind, challenging
attention and exciting admiration for
memory TO feed upon. so Mrs. Fiske's
presentation of pillars of Society at
4aeked the sensibilities of the writer
p yesterday afternoon. For its serene,
unclouded, sun touched beauty Mrs.
IYske's delineation of lonely Iona Hes
sci. the prophecies of all that's best in
Ibsen's drama, viii remain a rebuke to
.rnany previous enthusiasms which her
e. pcrtraiture pales. / mean that Mrs.
:. Tiske's presentation yesterday after
noon was so hawless that one who has
10 write about it feels keen resentment
shat he has not. somewhere or other,
reserved "A superlative adjective or two
. vith which TO distinguish the deserip-
. tion.
Cray. gloomy Ibsen-the seer of hope
:1essness and despair the muckraker in
;ale field of philosophic drama-for once
hss let the sunshine in. 1t floods the
= Norwegian seaport town; it sparkles
on the water; it refreshes the beholder
and warns the heart. 1t is splendid.
And such satire. Such a raking over
81 OF hypocrisy. such a commentary on
:the small vices which make humanity
miserable. If there were national
tlieater established, ] would earnestly
urge the presentation of The Pillars of
Society" twice year for the benefit of
the public consciousness. the advantage
D Of public health and the encouragement
of other dramatists who seek, some
.>tines fruitlessly. for the recipe of an
q entertaining play.
Eight LET IN
T should say to the ardent Ibsenite
that many Ibsen specialists regard
"The Pillars of Society" as one OF the
great NOrwegian's weakest. Perhaps
thev are right. The admirer of
Ghosts" as a staged spectacle, would
hardly enjoy the light that is shed on
s-The Pillars Of Society.
What have you returned for: they
ask Of Iona, who arrives suddenly from
America
ITO let the sunlight in" she replies,
pulling the curtains from before the
windows that some Of Gods sunlight
shall stream into the narrow, bigoted
environment where she proposes TO
spread some of his truth.
That is the theme Of the play. It is
an attack on hypocrisy; II is a treatise
on the futility Of deception; ii is a
giants listed blow at sham. 1t is all
this. secondsrily- Tt is a play first As
such Mrs. Fiske sees ii. The ethics take
care Of themselves. There is no preach
ing. though there is much talk. The
talk is to a point and there is a shud-
derry climax as early as the second act.
The third act is still better. and the
foIlrth act. wherein Mrs. Fiske as Iona
has little 10 do but sit and clap her
hands at the victory Bernick has won
over himself is a most adroit mixture
of tragic suggestion resolving in COM
ledy and cadenced with seriousness.
VICTORY FOR Iona
For Is years Bernick has been living
a lie He has become a pillar Of society
in his little Norwegian community, and
he is associated with others of his ilk-
p. respectable rascals, opportunists, crea-
fures OF environment. Iona, whom he
has wronged. ard Johan, whose good
name he has stolen, return suddenly
from America. The struggle ensues.
Bernick seeks to save his reputation.
Iona seeks to save his soul. Iona
wins through a series Of cumulative
episodes. which in their quiet intensity
remind one Of nothing more than the
tragic stiffness of a death room.
Iolbrook Blinn, according TO the ext
zencies Of the Eiay, is really the lead
ing player. Ee assumes the role of
Bernick, and his force and imagination,
his deft appreciation of his difficult and
uneotivocal part are sufficient TO place
him high up in the ranks of our most
honored players.
OF Mrs Fiske il is only possible to
saw that she supplies in pillars of So
ciety'' additional proof that there is
no actress on the American stage to-
day who is at once SO splendid an orna-
1nent and so potent an influence for
good as She
The support accorded Mrs. Fiske was
perfect within a shade OF the miracu-
Ions