While the Radcliffe Idler rarely descends to the murky depths occasionally explored by the other local theater groups, it also seldom reaches the zenith hit by "Waiting for Lefty" and "Saint Joan" earlier this spring. Its greatest virtue is consistent competence: its greatest defect, the same. This competence was constantly evident last night, in the performances, in the direction, in the excellent setting, and in the special incidental music, but it was not quite enough to make a somewhat padded play always interesting.

Not that this first Boston performance of "Is Life Worth Living?" isn't worth seeing. In his story of the happenings in a simple Irish town under the influence of the melodramatic performances of a hammy repertory company, Lennox Robinson has written a number of superb scenes, ranging from burlesque to pathos, and they come frequently enough to make the production decidedly on the plus side as entertainment. And-at one point, the second act climax, the burlesque and pathos are combined in a scene that stands out even in this highly touted season.

It is between such high spots that the play sags. The morose effect of the repertory company is not varied enough with the different characters, nor is it funny enough, to hold up through the last two acts. Occasionally one gets the feeling that "Is Life Worth Living!," rather than being an "exaggeration in three acts," is essentially one act exaggerated into an overblown philosophy in three, but much of the slowness can probably be accounted for by the vagaries of opening night tempo and timing. The answer to the title, incidentally, seems to be yes, although there are some doubtful moments.

To arrange the cast in the order of its excellence would be a difficult task: nonetheless, the fact stands clear that Miss Claire Gilman, as a visitor from Dublin, is the prettiest actress to be seen recently in these parts, while John Mannick, as the leading man of the repertory company, is one of the funniest, although he is made up to resemble a slightly pasty Peter Lorre.