PLAYGOER

Last night the Cambridge Summer Theatre under the guiding hand of Robert Perry attempted to give Cambridge a hint of the nostalgia of by-gone musical comedy days by presenting Jerome Kern's one-time hit, "Oh Boy!" Such an effort deserves only commendation; however, one is unable to give the present production a good mark for anything except effort.

The greatest fault in this week's show is a woeful lack of music. True, there is an abundance of the lush tunes of Mr. Kern, but even the music of that able composer must suffer when there are no voices to do it justice. Miss Patti Pickens, the star, struggles bravely, but is unable to make much headway against a cast of non-singers, attempting to talk the tunes.

Miss Pickens makes an attractive heroine, and Robert Perry turns in his usual fine performance, but the rest of the cast lacks both distinction and singing ability. The one and only high point of the evening is the remarkable performance turned in by James Lawlor at the piano, and the only one who lived up to expectation was Lee Nugent, who turned in her usual lack-luster performance.