The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-16
Mrs. FIske in Salvation Nell"


 Salvation Nell', the colossal drama of life in the side streets of New York, which Mrs Fiske will present at the Jefferson theatre tomorrow night, un- folds one of the most appealing love stories ever set forth on the stage. It Is direct, gripping, vital story, partaking of none of the mawlkishness which char acterizes so-called latter day romance. At the same time 1t is moving to a high de- gree. The Commercial-Appeal of Mem phis, in it's issue of Friday, December IT., 1909, gives local theatregoers an idea of what is in store for them in the follow ing:
 No happening in local theatres for a long time has possessed so much interest for the studious lover of dramatic art as ! the reappearance of Mrs. Fiske after an absence of several years. She was well comed at the Lyceum theatre last night by one of the most brillacnt audiences of the year, and presented her new play. Salvation Neil," slum drama from the pen of Edward Sheldon, Americas young est dramatist. Curiosity had been great ly piqued and expectation had been con- siderably stimulated by tho announce ment of the engagement, and the intense silence which followed the unfolding of the play last night was a tribute to both Mrs. F1ske and to HoIbrook Blinn for
 
 to art in the theatre. The interest was at all times so intense that the audience for got the presence of anything but the players themselves and the story of the underworld they were telling.
 The play is wonderfully staged, the first and third acts being revelations of the master craft of stage ingenuity. Tho Cherry street tenement scene is dis tinotly an achievement.
 thn fv1,,opoa o< o1sp~ovv, slu artistic personality and by force of a re- sistless magnetism, Mrs. Fslks has mounted to tho highest reaches of dram atic art. She makes even the common place predominantly interesting. Her im- personation last night was profound and perfect. It transcends the limited in- stinot of appreciation and the scope of criticism.
 Az q sustained disclosure of extreme sensfbtlity, imparted to tho audience with perfect sincerity and by . method which is original and . technique which is un- sxcelled. her impersonation of this role stands without its equal.
 The Limitations of Mrs. Fiske, If she has any at all arc admirable-to mako a Celtic ssntence-for they define sharply the peculiar quality of her talents In considering her as an actress one must di- vorcs himself from the past and present SAA>es~A are emphatically original. She is tenn pered realism; the concretcness of our every day environment and stin feels tho mystery back of life-the mystery of mo- five. Dramatic to her finger tips. Mrs. Tiske has deliberately thrown over all traditions of the contemporary stage and |. has given us an art that is absolutely fnew and powerful. Her work is at times 1painfully real and she outlines suffering tn its most poignant phases. subtlety w1Ed powUr of analysis she possesses in an tkbundancs that olasses her apart from Eany of her contemporaries. She is . thing aof herself. the embodiment of the most subtle instinct working in natural con- ditions and expressing Itself by rsprss- sion. It is in what Mrs. Tislks does not 1o that che reveals her greatness. The things that she leaves unsald tells us moro than frantic gestures and the hys- terical gasp of the conventional actress ever can. Her silsnos ls exQuisitely sx- pressive.
 This negation vsrges at times on the monotonous; its vsry ver1s1milituds makes sem c hsr wsrk very hasds bat h ob-