New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-05
Mime. Hammer to Give Ibsen
AS He Is Produced i'm the
Home of Scandinavian Drama

Nine. Borgny Hammer, the Scandi-
nGvian star, who will present Ibsens
plays at the Little Theater in October
according to the true Norwegian ira
dition-not according to the popular
American interpretations-beli that
TO do this she must use the language
;oi the audiences before whom she
plays This artist from Bergen Ma
tlonal Theater, felt so strongly on this
point that she gave up more than four
years Of her career to q study Of our
tongue, making herself virtually re-
eluse on an island in Puget Sound.
To interpret Ibsen in English became
he1 dream and aspiration, for she
wishes to show the works Of the Scan
dinavian dramatist in the manner they
were given at the National Theater Of
:Christiauia, where she was an idol for
many years. She is fully prepared to
make her Interpretation of Ibsen's
themes something long to be remem-
hered by all those who SEQ her, for
she radiates sincerity and possesses
tile belief that New York will take
kindly TO heart the native way Of pre-
II feel" said Nine. Hammer, when
interviewed at her sum ner home at
Klnt, Conn, Chat must break away
fl ON the traditions of Bernhardt and
Dasc and other foreign actresses who
have used their native tongue The
artistic appeal is not great enough.
When | give Ibsen at the Little The
,&ter wish to reach the heart of the
great public-which is not 81 student
of languages.
at is my idea that tho general pub
lie have an entirely wrong idea Of
lbsen, and in way the critical public
as we'll. He has been too much played
with sky OF gloom hanging over the
theater.
"lbsen plays have been enacted too
seriously, or with, I might say, unnat-
ural gravity; while, if he is played
naturally, the relation to real life and
light and laughter is at once apparent.
zone must realize that Ibsen has
been the greatest modern dramatic
force of all before dismissing him air
lily with oh, he's so gloomy On the
Continent Sudermann and Hauptmann
have felt and reflected his osophies
and literary form.
in Russia brilliant band of writ
ers have set their sails to catch the
wind OF his genius. In England Arthur
Wing Pinero was his weak imitator,
and George Bernard Shaw is but sub
stantial adaptation of him, with Eng
lish characteristics.
Rail against him as one may, one
cannot dispute the fact of Ibsens great
and original genius. The time is past
when it can be denied that he over
threw the conventions of the stage and
made the drama the vivid, interesting
reflection of ordinary life. Ihsen vas
not pessimistic and, indeed from his
own point OF view would be classed as
an idealist Ibsen argued even in TIE
deepest vein of his so-called pessimsm,
that life to be perfect must be purified
by love and based upon absolute indi-
vidual will. The backbone of his atti-
tude, in his own words, is: above al
else be strong!' Of course, to be a
realist he has dwelt upon the evils to
be overcome, an dthis has classed him
as among those who take a mournful
view of life.
when you see the Norwegian method
OF giving 'Hedda Gabier,' for example,
you will see the humor and Brightness
that were never absent when his play
was given in his native land
"In regard to Ibsen, subtle distinc-