Jody Locker and Mark Bramhall, as two servants, started the show off with a nearly disastrous thud; it took many minutes for the rest of the cast to repair the damage caused by their ineptitude.

At the end of the play, when Anais has her hat and Fadinard at least can enjoy his bride, nearly the entire cast suddenly goes into a delightful dance which apparently serves both to finish the performance and begin the curtain calls. This scene--the only carefully worked out group movement in the production--creates the gay, make-believe atmosphere of a musical, and is extraordinarily effective.

It seems a pity that more of the production could not have been choreographed like the final scene. Labiche's script calls for music and song, and the addition of these elements at the end indicated he was right.

Lewis Smith's gaudy, magnificent costumes would have been perfect in dance scenes, but they were splendid even without such exhibition. Donald Soule's sets, which used an apron stage and the Loeb's revolving platform for set changes, were flashy and adequate though a bit lacking in imagination.

Even with the reservations mentioned above, The Italian Straw Hat as displayed by the Harvard Summer Players is good, if not memorable entertainment. In this respect it closely resembles the other productions of this disappointing summer season. With the exception of Man and Superman, all the plays presented have been of questionable value--works that are of interest more as historical relics than as meaningful or vibrant drama. The season's master-plan of "four great comedies" was far from realized; neither the actors nor the audiences were given enough good material to work with.

The current play, though, may be just right for the season. It's improbable whirl of froth is a pleasant diversion from the gloom of the impending exam period