New-York tribune., 1918-03-10

announced the production Of "Th.
Wild Duck" and the revival Of 9TH.
Ibsen plays in her repertory.
Brandon lyman knows someth,,,
about revivals, he knows more ahort
Nazimova, and isn't entirely ieno,.,.
on the subject of Ibsen-havinp h..,
that actresses leading man in the Ma,
wegian dramatist's plays for a Ian,
time.
"There is no doubt that the von
revival does scare the public" mia
lyman yesterday. "People will Ao,l
to see a moderately trivial and bad Ne,
play quicker than they will to ~
vival, other things being equal.
"That is a point brought ont !,
Success where, in the character a,
the old actor, I say that the pubN.
likes Shakespeare if it doesn't knov
it's Shakespeare.
"That is one Of the truest thinps !,
the world. The public forgets; it fo,
gets the average play very qulcklv
and perhaps with reason. But it even
forgets masterpieces in time. And then
if the managers and the newspapsn
didn't call attention to the fact that 4.
is an old play which is being present.d
the piece would be almost as success.
full as on its first presentation.
81 am sure this is right, becaum
every successful revival always hm
some special feature, some added At
traction, to overcome the evil efect
Of the word revival. The chief rev.
val l ever played in was 'Trilby.' t
was highly successful; but we had an
all-star cast. l don't believe for /.
moment that people would ever have
gone to see the play if it hadn't bee,
for that incentive.
"Of course, when played with Nazin,
ova it was really a revival Of Ibse,
not for me, but for her. But hen
again there was the added attraction
Nazimova's Hedda Gabler, her Nora
and her numerous other Ibsen charat.
ters are wonderful performances. It
was on her account that theatregoen
went to see Ibsen. A comparativek
unknown actress or actor couldn't pes
sibly last in such a revival.
"Consequently, l see no reason Why
Nine. Nazimova shouldn't be highly
successful in another season Of Ibsen
She could revive almost any Of her oll
successes and have a long run. But
that's because of her, not because si
the play"
From that lyman got started on ths
subject of Ibsen in general, wheh
aside from the Irish question, seems tt
be the subject nearest his heart. h.
is very much interested in Nine
Nazimova's production Of "The Wild
Duck" for the first time in English il
New York.
at ought to be a great success b
said. mime. Nazimova knows how Il
interpret Ibsen. She has caught tn
spirit of his work.
"Ibsen's greatness lies primarily, o
course, in the fact that he present
great human problems. But If be ha
not known how to present them b
would not have been great. Ths
sounds quite puerile and self-evident
but what I mean is that he had til
good sense not to try to solve the proD
lens in his plays. He merely arouse
the public to a realization Of certal
big, human situations and then SAID
1t: Get out the best way you can
"That is where so often our so-calle
modern theatre of ideas falls down
the dramatists try to solve the pFo0
lem they present. Every quesue'
worth presenting on the stage Is W
big to be solved in q play. II "
dramatist succeeds in presenting 10
problem truthfully, he has done sss'
deal. Consider that there is about
hour and three-quarters Of dialosu'
1t isn't much. If a dramatist can g.
his thesis before the public properly
that time, he has accomplished ma
vel. That's where the difficulty
playwriting lies and what makes fof
plays success or failure.
"But to get back to revivals: ~
matter how human a play may "
there must be some special lncenu'
in the matter of the cast to MAKE "
revival possible"