IBSEN ON THE AMERICAN STAGE

The social problem plays of Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) are fundamental to drama in the modern era, but from the beginning his works met with resistance from American critics and audiences. There are few parallels for a playwright whose work has inspired such impassioned debate or has been as influential over the long term as Ibsen, much of it generated by his depiction of women resisting traditional social roles.

A Scandinavian troupe presented Ibsen'sGhostson tour in some Midwestern cities, including Chicago, in 1882. The first known American production of one of Ibsen's plays was an amateur staging ofA Doll's Housein Milwaukee that same year, with a happy ending tacked on and a new title,The Child Bride. The following yearHelena Modjeskastaged her own adaptation of the same play, this time titledThora, in Louisville, Kentucky, but it met with controversy and was withdrawn after a single performance.BeatriceCameron's 1889 New York appearance inA Doll's Housealso met with resistance. Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, Ibsen's plays were rarely produced and, as in European cities, were occasionally banned. A few American stars were willing to appear in Ibsen's plays during the 1890s, especiallyMinnie Maddern Fiske, who played Nora Helmer inA Doll's Housein 1894, 1895, and 1902. Mrs. Fiske also appeared in a 1903 New York production ofHedda Gabler, the same year thatMary ShawpresentedGhosts. In the first decade of the 20th century, Ethel Barrymore inA Doll's House(1905) andNance O'NeilinHedda Gabler(1905) braved critical hostility in Ibsen productions. Florence Kahn played Hilda Wangel in the first American staging ofThe Master Builder(1900). Thereafter, actors were increasingly drawn to Ibsen's plays.

Dramatists were also inspired by Ibsen, beginning withJames A.Herne, whose 1890 playMargaret Flemingwon him the epithet "The American Ibsen." From the 1920s, playwrights including Eugene O'Neill, Thornton Wilder,* and later Arthur Miller* were influenced by Ibsen's dramatic formula.

Alla Nazimova, a Russian actress who spent most of her career on American stages, scored successes with several Ibsen plays, first in her 1906 debut inHedda Gablerand continuing withA Doll's HouseandThe Master Builderthe following year. In 1910, Na-zimova also appeared inLittle Eyolfwhile Mrs. Fiske offeredThe Pillars of Society. This increase in Ibsen productions was only temporary. By the early 1910s, Ibsen, who was viewed as profeminist, met with a new resistance from American audiences as the battle over female suffrage became increasingly divisive.GhostsandPeer Gyntwere produced in 1915,Hedda Gablerin 1917, andA Doll's Housein 1917 and 1918, but these were among the few Ibsen productions before 1920.

Changing values in the post-WorldWar I era led to a significant increase in Ibsen productions. This was furthered by critics like Joseph Wood Krutch, who advocated for modernist theatre in general, and Herman Wiegand, whose critical studyThe Modern Ibsen(1925) applied Sigmund Freud's psychological theories to the plays, influencing contemporary interpretations. In 1923, Joseph Schildkraut headed a cast includingLouise Closser Haleand a young Edward G. Robinson in a Theatre Guild production ofPeer Gynt, which ran for a remarkable 240 performances. Significant excitement was generated in 1923 during a rare American tour by Italian actressEleonora Duse, a longtime proponent of Ibsen's plays. She includedThe Lady from the SeaandGhostsin the repertory.

The Actors' Theatre presentedHedda Gabler(1924, 1926),The Wild Duck(1925), andGhosts(1927), while various productions ofRos-mersholm(1925),Little Eyolf(1926), andAn Enemy of the People(1928) starring Walter Hampden were also presented in New York. During the 1928-1929 Broadway season,Blanche Yurkaappeared in three Ibsen works,The Wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, andThe Lady from the Sea, and in 1930 Yurka also starred in and directed the first American production ofThe Vikings, Ibsen's early play of Icelandic history.

Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre (CRT) presented several Ibsen works during its tenure, includingThe Master BuilderandJohn Gabriel Borkman, both in 1925. The CRT also producedHedda Gablerin 1928 at the same time as Yurka's production was running. At the beginning of the Great Depression, there was a precipitous fall-off in Ibsen productions, with only Le Gallienne regularly offering his plays as part of herrepertoire. Broadway productions of Ibsen were comparatively rare between 1930 and the 1960s, but with the rise of professional regional theatre companies* Ibsen became a central part of the repertory of the American stage.

See alsocensorship.