The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-26

Actors Theatre Does Not DO
Justice to "The Wild Duck

HAVE been 10th to admit what 1t
is fashionable to point out with
sage holdings of the head: that Ib-
sen dates" During recent years
I've seen three Ibsen plays, "The
Master Builder" "Hedda Gabler,"
and IAN Enemy of the People" The
first two seemed to me a good deal
more alive than most contemporary
plays, and tho "An Enemy of the
People" did show the wear and tear
of years, it is saved by the fact that
it is more comedy than drama. But
now I've seen "The Wild Duck
and it smells of camphor. And this
despite the fact that it has in it
many beautiful things, many things
that are profound and memorable.
1t must be said for Ibsen that
THE Wild Duck" is hardly done jI =
tice in its present revival by the
Actors Theatre at the 49th Street
Theatre. There are just three real
actors in the cast: Blanche Yurka,
John DAILY Murphy and Linda Wat
kins. The rest do not matter much.
1t must also be said for Ibsen that
1.-THE Wild Duck" deserves a new
translation. The present translation
by Mrs. Frances E. Archer (not Will
liam Archer, as the program states)
is so much lath and plaster. In fact,
it's about time that all of Ibsen's
plays were re-translated into English
that isn't stuffed with horsehair
The late William Archer and those
that worked under him did conscien-
tious pioneer work, but their trans
lations are pedantic and uninspired.
One may venture generalization
and say that those of Ibsen's plays
which revolve chiefly around prob
lens of moral and ethical behavior
will be found least interesting to the
modern mind, while those in which
revelation of character ovelshadows
any moral or ethical themes" are
closest to the mood of our times. For
lbsen remains master of character
analysis, Tor, rather, character syn
thesis, since his method is to build
up his characters out of the action
of the play. But his moral prob
lems-ach, Colt! They were long
ago Pineroed to death. Ibsen's bat
ties have been won. In large COM
munities, at least, bourgeois moral
ity no longer finds it necessary for
the preservation of bourgeois society
to espouse all the hypocrisies and
absurdities that it once held sacred.
A few will do the trick now (this is
an age of efficiency and compres
sion). Plenty of homes "are built
on lies" as Ibsen solemnly phrases
it, and nobody loses any sleep over
it.
The characters in "The Wild
Duck" in those moments when the
dead weight of Ibsen's moral pre-
occupations and pedantic mysticism
are lifted from them, are drawn with
shrewdness and under
standing. Gregers Werle, obsessed
with his "claim of the IDEAL" is OBJ
viously an ironic portrait of the
younger Ibsen himself, the Ibsen of
Brand" It's a pity he is made
even more of a bore than he actu-
ally is by the bad acting of Ralph
Roeder who reads his lines like a
schoolboy reciting a memory gem.
Relling may be interpreted as Ib-
sens alter ego, the sober, cynical
prose voice puncturing the poets
fervent shibboleths. And the char
acter of Hialmar Ekdal, the buster
ing, conceited mediocrity whose chief
powers lie in the direction of self
intoxication, is delightful satire de-
spite the feeble and affected per-
Torrance of Dallas Anderson.
The play is vitalized by the really
extraordinary acting of Blanche
Yurka as Gina Ekdal and John DAILY
Murphy as Old Ekdal. And the
young actress, Linda Watkins, in
vests the difficult role of Hedvig
with charm and poignancy that
make it moving and memorable
performance.
"A. B. MAGIL.