Faksimile

Text

box 15/3
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fruene Kakadu
9. 3 e
Sar 1p.l. (gem 30l.
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Au leu. mm¬
APRIL 12. 1910
E
12 Amigto
ADVER SER. NEW YORK.
MUSIC and DRAMA
Hannele“ Too Sombre for Mrs. Fiske.

——
It was a fitting tribute to Mrs. Fiske’s
superb art that other openings last night
9
drew very few of her first night follow¬
ing from the Lyceum, where the actress
presented Hannele,“ preceded byThe
Green Cockatoo.“ Those who predicted
that Hauptmann’s dream poem would be
GREARiG
treated frigidly because of its religious
theme found themselves within reach of
correct judgment, but there appeared the
Hannele.“
painting of a picture—altogether too
church-like for the stage—by sincere ar¬
N artistic and beautiful version of
tists, and thus the real heart of the play
Gerhart Hauptmann's“ Hannele“
was laid bare in real purity. Neverthe¬
4 4 was presented by Mrs. Fiske at
less, the Hauptmann work is not satls¬
the Lyceum last evening before an audi¬
fying, even from the viewpolnt of educa¬
ence that seemed undecided whether to
tional entertainment. 10 is dreary, even
ghastly, in its Intermittent atmosphere of
laugh or cry. It was a large audience,
coarse assoclation; it was more gruesome
interested, well meaning, but puzzled.
in these moments than The Witch,“ pro¬
Its furrowed brow and restless sighs
duced at the New Theatre, and not even
seemed to say: Now, Mme. X’ was
the beautiful work of Mrs. Fiske as Han¬
weepy, and The City’ was shuddersome,
nele, and Sister Martha could produce
more than passing human interest.
but what does all this mean?“ And
The play was given at the Fifth Avs¬
perhaps these literalfolk were within their
nue nearly 15 years ago and then it was
rights. Those who dissolve in tears over
adversely critielzed, but under the ripened
M. Bisson’s court room scene, and writhe
influence of Mrs. Fiske’s interpretation
last night the poetic drama brought forth
in sympathy with Tully Marshall's
a certaln blend of originality, the realls¬
"doped'’ nerves, could hard.y be expecied
tic and the poetie.
to spend emotion over the imperish¬
In sharp contrast to the mental wan¬
able poem that Hauptmann has woven
dering of the dying waif, Hannele, was
from a child’s dream.
Schnitzler’s grotesque and grisiy The;
Green Cockatoo, with its underworld at¬
The Sunken Bell,' misty, subtle, com¬
mosphere of the old theme öf the French
plex in its high flown symbolism, has
revolution, and its scenes of passion and
had a certain success here. But“The
blood when the Bastile fell, as a curtain
Sunken Bell'' is full of sprites and fairies
ralser. Taken in all, however, it was an
played by personable young women in
evening of art in stage productions.
"Hannele' is ta deep analysis of the de¬
floating draperies and flower garlands,
lirium of a dying child, whp sees the
and staged with real waterfalls and sun¬
Savlour in the person of one of the group
lit forests, and it treats of illicit love
at her bedside.
among other hectic matters. Hannele,
These hallucinations find their root as
the conditions and circumstances of the
on the other hand, is sorrow reduced to
child’s life, and the primitive forms they
its simplest terms, love at its purest,
take are measured by her narrow experi¬
life in its simplest aspect. In the na¬
ences. The author’s insight into the suf¬
ture of things this exquisite creation
fering and brain-imaginings of Hannele
could hardly be expected to have a pop¬
is sympathetic and true. He differentiates
with skill and subtlety the transitions to
ular success in a community which goes
and from the worlds of reallty and fan¬
to the play to forget its woes and wor¬
tasy that mark the final hours of the
child’s existence and that transport her
made laugh.
from the terrors of a cruel life to a
The earlier scenes of the play are har¬
heavenward journey. The scene of the
play is the maln room of a pauper refuge
rowing enough to make one long for res¬
of a mountain village, in Hauptmann's
pite in the way of excision, but they
own Silesia, for the memory of his boy¬
were presented with pitiless realism la###
hood assoclations ever colors his work. In
night. The dying child who has tried te
the room sits Tulpe, a beggar woman,
esenpe From the blows of her drunken
who sings hymns. Hete, a gutter woman,
full of the animal, enters, and the two
stepfather and the horrors of cold and
quarrel over the Hete’s latest booty.
hunger by throwing herself into a pond
Pleschke, a palsied man, and Hanke, a
is brought into the village almshouse and
younger man, enter and a quarrel follows.
nursed by ansister of charity. The rest
Into the group of human wolves Gottwald,
of the play is made of the dreams that
the village schoolmaster, brings in little
Hannele, whom he has rescued from an
come to the poor child in her delirium.
ice hole in the mill pond, where she sought
The visions and apparitions pre¬
suleide. In a brutish cüriosity the paupers
sented last night were perfectly imagined.
gather around tle drtug child.
Angels appeared in circles of blue lights,
Wachler, the doctor, comes. Science
dazzling, primitive, almost crude, just thei
must have its turn. He shakes his head.
Tes, Hannele is dying. Then Mercy comes.
way a village child might have imagined
the sister of Charity, Sister Martha. Hap¬
them, from the naive pietures in her
piness for Hannele. All is not cruelty,
cheap prayer book. The glimpse of thel
for her loved ones are with her, Gottwald
golden stairway with its serried ranks of
and Sister Martha—they will save her
golden-haired cherubs was like the heaven
from the black angel over there—the Angel
of Death. In her ravings Gottwald be¬
Katinted Easter card, such as Hannele
comes the Saviour, and, guarded Dy hov¬
might have seen in a shop window. A
ering angels, she climbs the golden stair¬
little aristocrat with Puvis de Cha¬
case.
vannes picture books and a Tissot Bible
One of the disappointing things in the
might not have dreamed of angels in just
play is that Mrs. Fiske saerificed herself
that way, but Hannele undoubtediy
to a bed-ridden role in order to produce
this Silesian creation. There is more to
would have decked them with all the
be said of this later, also of the revolu¬
tion play.
bright hues and stiff grandeur of the
angels in the village church windows.
In pitiful fashion the child’s scant
knowledge of joy is shown. The height
of bliss is to have her schoolmastee
grieve at her death. Her crowning van¬
#tg is to wear the crystal slippers that
Gretchen and Bette found too small.]
Her one poor triumph over the school'
fellows who have called her Princess Rag¬
tag is to imagine them begging her pardon
and asking her "not to tell the dear Lord
that they made fun of her.“ When her
dead mother appears to her she asks if
in heaven one may rest when one is tired
and eat when one is hungry, and she re¬
joices when a fantastiertailor brings her
a wedding veil and ashining gown, so
that she may not be forcedito appear be¬
fore her Saviour in tatters!
Mrs. Fiske as the child Hannele
effaced herself almost completely. Han¬
nele was a mere hub around which the
play révolved. Seen dimly through veils
of gauze the illusion of small and fragile
youth was maintained and her voice had
the pathetic treble of the frightenedichild:
Alice John’s warm womanliniss shone
throngh Sister Martha's part, and Hol¬
brook Blinn was impressive as the
Stranger.
Hannele' was preceded by“The Green
Cockatoo, d "grotesquerie' in one act
by Arthur Schnitzler. It is a play of the
French revolution and the action takes
place on the eve of the fall of the Bas¬
Itille.
Grisettes, aristocrats, actors, citizens
consort in a cabaret which gives the play;
its title, One of the actörs kills an aris-
tocrat who he discovers has been the#
lover of the girl the actor has just mar¬
Fried. As the crowd in the cabaret gath¬
Ders around the body ef the duke, the¬
citizeus flock in from the streets, bring¬
ing the news of the fall of the Bastille
and singing the Carmagnole. The en¬
semble work of the company in this
colorful little drama was excellent, and
the color and grouping of the crowds
was picturesque to a degree. Holbrook
Blinn, Edward Mackay, Henry Stephen¬
son, and Alice John did good work.
J. M.
*