New-York tribune., 1921-04-05
Slow Pace in Early Acts of
New Play by Augustus
Thomas QuickelM in a
Well Written Trial Scene
By Haywood Broun

This production Of Nemesis" at the
Hudson Theater last night suggests
that Augustus Thomas has had about
him for some time 81 courtroom act
and has finally decided to write a play
IN order to put it to work This is
said with all due respect for the act
IN question, which is fine piece of
work. The play, which surrounds it,
has not been willing to face the fact
that he is writing melodrama. He re-
Quires a running start of two long
acts before he is ready TO make his
leap. Once off the ground he sails
along prettily only to land with thud
and fall back on his hands
Possibly he felt that he was develop
ing character in his introduction, but
none of his portraits are deep or
shrewd enough to excite interest. All
the convenient stencils are employed.
An artist IS Of necessity gay and
fascinating dog. a silk merchant must.
The taciturn and the laconic are put
sorward confidently as sure signs Of
internal fire
The contrast between 4 gay and
pieasureloving wife and stern and
forbiddingly thoughtful husband is in
dlcated to the audience by the an
nouncement that she reads The Satur~
DAY Evening Post while be dotes on
The North American Review. She
quotes De Quincy and he hates bridge.
Once more it is the eternal conflict
between the materialist and youth $
"springtime freedom" the longing to
hear the patter OF little feet about the
house and all that sort Of thing
Mr. Emmett Corrigan helps out the
author s notion OF the essential nature
o. man of strong passion by always
counting up TO fifteen before answering
question. 1t is hardly fair to Kalian
10 make him such d duh dog. fcr after
all he contrives and executes am ln-
genious murder. and he should be by
right OF these imaginative gifts an
entertaining com m7anion.
Having killed his wife because she
planned to elope with Louis Jovainc.
the sculptor, Ben Kallan diverts sus-
picion from himself to the lover by
placing Joyaine's finger prints abou.
me room by means OF a rubber stamp
which he has had constructed. Posi-
bly, ne gave the job to the same con-
cern which furnished Mr.. Thomas with
the stamp he used in writing the first
5wo acts We then sec Jovaine r.ed
md convicted on the evidence OF the
niger prints and in the last act we see
tae real murderer standing outside the
Geath house while the execution takes
nlace. Then, for reasons not clearly
disclosed, the murderer gives the dis
srlct attorney at least a broad hint that
he wrong man mas been sent to the
electric chair. Probably this is intend
cd to increase the irony which is no
very good service 10 "Nemesis." Irony
is stimulating dramatic quality but II
ioses something of It's sting when the
cramatist all too palpably takes off his
coat to rub it in.
Curlousl y enough. the dialogue of the
play, which is for the most part stilted
and artificial, takes on all the color Of
HE once it gets into court. When Mr
homas comes to write 1t cross-exami-
nation scene with close attention fe
Did you use the subway or surface
lne?" Jovaine's testimony that he wa.
delayed in starting on his trip becaus,
he stopped to put a new lace in his
shoe, and hundred othor small litera
touches. the thing is Interesting anc
gripping as it never was in the Garlic,
acts salted with indifferent epigrams
The playwright also shows commend
able restraint in bringing down his
curtain without attending to the for