Radcliffe's Idler has turned to the Eighteenth Century and Isaac Bickerstaffe's ballad opera for its latest offering, and has gathered enough musical talent from the Choral Society and the Glee Club to make possible a production which, if not a complete success, surmounts considerable production weakness to charm its audience.

The straitened confines of Agassiz impose horrible limitations on any production crew. A tiny stage and woefully inadequate lights are bad enough, but unfortunately the Idler staff was further weakened by poor designers. The exterior scene--purporting to be a garden--had all the carmarks of a grammar school watercolor exercise; and the interior seemed overcomplicated for the small stage. Costuming was excellent, but makeup again seemed amateurish to an inexcusable degree, as principals frequently appeared with faces mottled by huge black spots.

Once past these technical barriers the evening was a success. Director Mary Howe used the stage to good advantage, although her actors seemed once or twice to move almost as in a rigid pattern. A slow opening scene was quickly erased by the arrival of the play's comies, and a tempo more conducive to holding a light mood was maintained through the remainder of the play.

Credit for the real success of the evening lies with William Russell, whose expert and traditional handling of the music enabled the talented east to show its wares to the best advantage. By holding the orchestra to five pieces, Russell maintained the lightness and buoyancy of the original score; his substitution of a piano for the usual harpsichord allowed him to lead the singers most effectively.

Individual competence characterized almost all of the principal roles. As the raisonneur and heavy-duty comedian, Walter Aikman showed confidence and good taste, while his various musical numbers were well-sung. William Whitehead appeared only in the last act, but his duet "Down Among the Dead Men" with Aikman was the high point of the show. Indeed, the ensemble numbers throughout showed more skill and confidence than the solos. Francis MacNutt's general buffoonery as Hodge, the manservant, carried the play through its weakest moments with uproarious success. Dick Murphy and Peter Davison were properly romantic over Marty Hopkins and Fraueena Thomas; all four showed musical skill in their parts.

The Ballad Opera, at best, is a diverting series of slightly bawdy songs interspersed with a stock plot. Idler seems to have blown the dust of nearly two centuries off "Love in a Village" with considerable success.