The St. James players are not called upon to exercise their histrionic powers to the full this week, for "Judy Drops In", the current offering of the Boston Stock Company, is one of the most trivial pieces that has been put before the theatre-going public this season. Although the play is weak in plot and no more than average in dialogue, the sympathetic acting of the St. James cast makes the result genuinely amusing rather than distinctly mediocre.

Scene is Greenwich Village

The scene is laid in a Greenwich Village garret. The prosaic daily, or more appropriately, nightly routine of four young Villagers, male, is jarred by the unconscious arrival of one more Villager, female. She is banged in the head by a brutal escort four stories below (although, to let you into a secret, the irate voices really come from the orchestra). The young men gallantly offer her succor, and abandon their apartment to her for the night when it appears that she is unable to leave.

She likes the place so well that she stays for good, giving the St. James scene-shifters a light evening and the acrobatic orchestra leader. Mr. Hector, less time than usual for his daily dozen. Her remaining is made quite respectable by the kindly interventions of the landlady, admirably played by the slender Miss Layng, artificially enlarged for the evening to the proportions of an All American guard.

Has Three Lovers Too Many

The young lady, cast out by her cruel step-father and robbed by him of her $500 inheritance (less than the usual theatrical fortune), is in a difficult predieament, but she scrubs and cooks so delightfully in return for her room and board that all four young men fall in love with her. Obviously four lovers are three too many, but it takes three acts to eliminate the three unfortunates. If we had been the young lady, we would have picked Houston Richards, who was put out in the semifinals, but of course the script of the play had to be followed.

Mr. Richards somehow gets the very most out of any role that he is given, no matter how minor it may be, and he accomplishes this without over-acting. As much cannot be said for Mr. Remley and Mr. Elkins, the other two unlucky lovers. On the strength of their acting they entirely merit their ill fortune. Mr. Nedell, the blue ribbon winner, has little to do, but does it well.

Miss Hitz is sweet and winsome in the leading feminine role. Judging from the Monday evening applause she has won the hearts of the St. James regulars already. It was not until we got home that we realized that we never were told whether Miss Hitz got back that $500 that her stepfather held out on her. It worried us.