Arizona republican., 1921-05-20
|DSEN'S GHOSTS"
 GIVES PEOPLE JOLT
 AT ELKS THEiTER

Phoenix owes a dept of gratitude to Henry B. Walthall, not only for giving them an opportunity to see and hear him on the speaking stage but also for having surrounded him self with such a capable company. For it is fact it has been some time since m organization of equal merit of such balance and so individually first class, has been seen in this city as the company which last night opened a four days engagement at the Elks' theater.
 In keeping with the unusual com pany was the opening play which was Henrik Ibsens Ghosts" Pro ductions of Shakespeare, 1bsen and other dramatists of the classic school are so infrequent in Phoenix that their coming serves as a mental tonic. The audience at the Elks' last night which while good sized should have been larger. received a genuine jolt from the realism of .bsen which at times was quite sho 1king. breaking away from the conventional and bold Iy bringing out that which. while fre- quently thought. is seldom a subject of public conversation.
 Family skeletons, generally crowd ed back into dark csosets, and the ghosts of past misdeeds, usually long forgotten. are brought forth in Ib- sens stinging utterances that serve to jolt humanity loose from the line of least resistance.
 "The trouble with the world is too much law and order,' says Mrs. Alv- ing, Ibsen's striking characterization of woman as a mother whose expe- riences deny dogma, convention and
 social creed "The sIns of the fa- ther shall be visited upon the chil- 1 dren," answers Pastor Manders h.
 sens defender of the social order. And | then the audience is brought face to face with Oswald Alving, son of Mrs. Alving. whom iDsen offers as a product of heredit, which no en- vironment can change. So ghosts of. the past arise to plague the Alv- 1 ings. and the eonse .uences of the
 modern social order MS Ibsen sees it
 reach but one end-tragedy.
 As Oswald Alving, MT. Walthall
 rises to great heights showing pow erful dramatic ability that sweeps
 the audience.
 But as has been sad before, he by
 no means is the only actor in the
 company now at the Elks theater. Ir
 the interpretation of the mother, Elizabeth De Witt proves herself tc 1 be an accomplished actress. She ap- | parently lives the part, which is 2
 most difficult one.
 l Arthur Rutledge as Pastor Mand- ! CTS is the perfect delineation of ths 1 preacher expounding nIs theology. IT | appearance an denunciation he ap- parently could not be excelled. A role that stands out in it's ex- | cellence is that of Jacob Engstrand l taken by William Clifford. Hi: l every crafty thought is portrayed ir 1 voice and action.
 i Mary Charleson as Regina Eng | strand. Mrs Alving's maid is effec-
 tive and maintains the standard O | the company.
 ] MT. Walthall is known to all a' | the little coloner' in Griffith's fa- nous "Birth of a Nation" and it is gratifying to his m-ny friends tC learn that he is equally capable or l the speaking stage as he is in the movies.
 Ibstxl's Ghosts" will be the pla,
 again tonight On Saturday and Sun
 day nights and Sunday matinee MT Walthan and his company will deser'
 the heavy 1bsen drama and show l Phoenix people how splendidly the, can present comedy, the play befns ! "17aken h. There ssould be ca pacity house tonight and every nigh during the remainder Of the engage ment