New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-21
By Ralph Block

When people laugh in northern
climates the ring of iron can always be
heard under their mirth. "The Del
uge," which last nights performance
at the Hudson Theatre established as
the most important dramatic contribu-
tion of the early season. is full Of
strange scandinavian laughter, the
irony Of Ibsen and the acrid bitter
ness Of Strindberg There is even
something Russian in its preoccupa-
tion with the fatalistic pattern of life,
and at more than one point this play
by Henning Berger recalls the design
Of Gorky's "The Night Refuge" IL
is passionate comment upon the
pettiness Of life and the immensely OF
death, and even though it is cast in a
style of finely sustained realism. it
is full of the poetry that may be
found more richly in human action
than in words.
Little is known in America of Hen
ming Berger beyond the fact that he
lived in this country seven years, most
of that time in Chicago, and that after
the memory Of certain radical activities
had been allowed TO grow dim he re-
turned to his native land. In Sweden
he is fairly well known, and several of
his novels and other works have been
published by Albert Bonniers in Stock
holm. The Deluge," which was first
proposed by Arthur Hopkins for pres
entation four years ago, Is known in
Swedish as "Syndasfodep." In a lit
ersl translation this becomes suggest
lively "The Sin Flood"
What the dramatist has done in
"The Deluge" is to bring together into
one room all the passion, the pain the
mystery, the weakness and strength
all the desire and all the futility Of
human nature-and to keep it there for
twenty-four hours Of stage time under
a searching microscope. He does this
with a convincing illusion of reality
I but not without touch of symbolism,
and his agent of necessity in the play
is q storm. 1t is q storm so violent, so
prolonged and so overpowcring that all
the small details of living are momen-
tarily eliminated and the souls of those
who are there are barred and disclosed
for what they are worth.
The scene is a saloon, located in a
city on the Mississippi" but strongly
reminiscent in many ways of Chicago.
IT Is not q poor mar 5 SAlObil, anu INV
il come the men whose hands keep stir
ring the city's seething life. Frazer IS
promoter, man who has preyed like
all the rest, but was not strong enough
to win. He is broken and disappointed,
with his voice raised against every one
Of his fellows. Adams is a Spectator
Here and there his past is revealed
through the play, not at one fash, as IN
the drama of what might be called the
Feather Buster School, but through
slight intimate suggestions, as happens
usually in life itself. He has risen
from a clerkship to a place where he
figures in millions. He stops at moth
ing, CANDLES hugely at cards at night
and on Change in daylight. The au-
thor, it may be believed, is also IN the
play, but ne has not given himself Co
votedly to one figure.
A Swedish immigrant, young man,
perhaps voices something OF the trials
/ of the newcomer in a strange land;
but il is O'Neiil, lawyer, played per-
sussively by Henry Dixey, who is the
mouthpiece of this new scandinavian
commentator on life. 1t is O'Nelll who
sees the design behind the confusion,
himself none too good in the haste OF
everyday life. but heroic and fine IN
the face of death And it is O'Nelll
again who parts at last little sorrow
fully, from the prospect Of death, be-
cause it revealed better things IN MS