Comedy of manners 'Improbable Fiction' tries a little too hard
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's “Improbable Fiction” should be catnip to longtime connoisseurs of British TV on PBS. That's because Alan Ayckbourn's 2005 comedy seemingly spoofs not only literary-inspired series that are mainstays of “Masterpiece” and “Mystery,” but also the sci-fi silliness of the pre-reboot “Doctor Who.”
Yet even die-hard PBS fans might have their patience tested by “Improbable Fiction.” The comedy takes its sweet time strolling through most of Act I before things pick up to a wacky and farcical pace by Act II.
Set in the remote Northern English country home of Arnold Hassock (Robert Jordan Bailey), “Improbable Fiction” starts out as a modern comedy of manners involving fledgling authors facing differing degrees of writer's block. The low-key humor is largely character-based, showing how these eccentrics annoy and intimidate each other.
For example, retired math teacher and musical librettist Brevis Winterton (Gary Simmers) finds fault with everything. He terrifies the forever-procrastinating children's book author Grace Sims (Denise Blank) and is infuriated by the writings of introverted sci-fi novelist Clem Pepp (Conor Burke).
Meanwhile, mystery novelist Vivi Dickens (Rebecca Cox) and historical fiction writer Jess Bales (Laura Leonardo Ownby) often seem more bemused by potential romantic sparks between Hassock and Ilsa Woldby (Becca Morello), his unseen mother's in-home health care worker, rather than the literary meeting. Later, the authors' unfinished works somehow come to life while Hassock is stuck in the swirl of switching plot lines.
Ayckbourn has fun playing up the formulaic banalities of literary genres involving a 19th-century heiress going mad, 1930s detectives investigating a murder and a band of futuristic folks trying to capture a rogue alien. Yet when compared to more intricate Ayckbourn plays such as “The Norman Conquests” trilogy or “Communicating Doors,” “Improbable Fiction” comes off as a trifling second-tier romp that tries too hard.
The cast, under director Bryan Burke, has a tough time wringing laughs out of Act I. Burdened with northern English accents, the ensemble's comic subtleties don't always shine through - save for Simmers' scene-stealing take on the irascible Winterton.
The fun picks up in Act II, when the cast has a field day facing zany challenges and zipping through multiple characters, with the help of clever quick-change costumes by designer Aly Greaves Amidei. Yet, Bailey's Hassock could be much more visibly bewildered at all the fictional fantasy confronting him.
The comedy oddly teems with inspirational writing advice even as it ruthlessly mocks bad writing. It's no “Masterpiece,” but at least “Improbable Fiction” caps off a welcome return season for the revived Buffalo Theatre Ensemble.
“Improbable Fiction”
★ ★ ½
Location: Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, (630) 942-4000 or
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through June 4
Running time: About two hours and 30 minutes, including intermission
Tickets: $35
Parking: Nearby free lot
Rating: For young teens or older; includes some swearing