New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-11
By HAYWOOD BROUN

"'Ception Shoals" is a tiresome trag-
edy, dank and obstetricsl. A promising
first act and final act which is com
polling in mood. at least, go for little,
because the middle Of the play is a
fearful muddle.
This second and longest act is bad,
because il is over-insistent. and worse
yet. its insistence is upon subject
which has lost all pertinence. II. Aus
tin Adams argues a, fearful length that
girls ought to be taught something
about sex hygiene. Such talk Is
tinkle in'an age which knows million
times as much about sex as it does
about reticence. n Mr.. Adams will at
tend any reputable tea party in any
city Of more than 10000 inhabitants we
will wager he will not escape before
some debutante has discussed with him
either birth control or the segregation
of vice.
IL is true that the heroine OF "'Cep-
ton Shoals" lives in lighthouse. but
there is an evident attempt TO read
large meaning into her fate. Even
the girl Of the lighthouse has no right
to be as ignorant as the playwright
would have her. She has free access
TO Bible. and she must have read that
book i'll indeed II IL afforded her no
information concerning some OF the
fundamental facts OF human existence
Did the story OF David and Bathsheba
mean nothing TO her? Did she miss
altogether the manner in which Esau
and Jacob came into the world? Then
too, there are the begat chapters, but
Of course. everybody skips them.
The playwright is also most unfair
in attempting 70 link sexual prudery
with the Christian religion. This IS
no lust criticism. Mr. Adams was once
a clergyman in the Protestant Episco-
nal Church, and he can hardly have
forgotten so soon the almost indelcate
words Of the marriage service.
However, If there were no second act
"Ception Shoals" would have much 70
recommend IL. First Of all there IL
Nazimova. She is potentially the
greatest actress on the English SPEAK
ing stage, but she is finer instrument
than an artist. Thus. when she strike'
wrong note in acting she sounds u
louder and more discordently than an
inferior player. Much Of what she
does in her new play 10 excellent: faf
ticularly in the first act she iniuses =
scene with a marvellous youthful splri'
which we did not know she possessed
Again she plays the final act with rare
power despite too great a love fof
screeches. but I'M the second act she IS
sometimes as much a. sea as the play
itself.
H. Austin Adams has devised an m
teresting. although extremely srtiicisI'
first act which ends with hne me
atrical moment. Blake. a qulNouc
yachtsman. is carrying az passenger
on his boat an erring young woman
who is soon 10 become mother. In
foe the boat runs aground on lonely
sand bar called "Ccption shoals. ne
woman is below and Blake IS lolhnR
about on the sand when there appears
before him a marvellous creature from
out Of the sea. She is girl IN scahlS
bathing attire who has swum All the
two miles from the lighthouse 70 sec
a man from the outer world ana leafn
of life. ,.:s.i
Nazimoya is an amazingly heautlu vi
figure in her one-piece suit. FRANKLY
only the Australian crawl stands ne
tween her and Miss Annette kellermann
Yet. the comparison is inept, for Nahi'
nova /, astoundingly girlish. sitting
ON the sand she talks with Blake and
tells him that her father, who tends
the light, keeps her from all knowledge
of life. She is curious TO know such
fundamental things as What IS a
man." and What is a woman = she
confesses to great store OF book
knowledge, for several volumes were