Review: Rotorua Little Theatre's Improbable Fiction

Actors Diane Pasco, as Jess (left), and Sarah Ussher, as Ilsa, never miss a beat in the play Improbable Fiction. Photo / Willie Werner of Fotozone Photography

Details

What: Rotorua Little Theatre's Improbable Fiction, a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Val Isherwood

Where: Shambles Theatre

When: Until November 21

Tickets: 0800 289 849, adults $26, students $15, seniors $23

This amusing piece of theatre opened on Friday night with a very slick performance from the cast of seven.

The first half sets the scene of a group of wannabe writers who regularly meet at the home of Arnold Hassock - chairman of the group.

The audience is given a complete understanding of what sort of writing each one is involved in - children's books, period romance novels, detective novels, instruction manuals, musicals and science fiction.

So, a somewhat staid first half sets the scene for the second half, when absolute mayhem erupts as the characters from their various writings come alive and play out their different scenarios around the bewildered Arnold Hassock, played by Steve English.

English is on stage from the time the curtain opens until the curtain closes. His performance is perfect as the mild-mannered man who writes instruction manuals and lives with his ageing, ailing mother who you never actually see.

The writers who act out characters from their fiction are a hilarious bunch. All five are so funny in all the characters they play. Then, there is also Ilsa - played by Sarah Ussher - who looks after the elderly lady upstairs while all this mayhem is going on and who, of course, becomes involved with the madness.

All on stage are very true to the characters they are portraying and swap from character to character with ease.

Special mention must be made of the classic facial expressions of Dianne Pasco. They make you laugh without her even opening her mouth.

There are characters running on and off stage constantly and one must mention the costume changes. It is noted in the programme that there are three dressers backstage and they certainly must be flat out the whole second half constantly changing costumes. Well done, ladies.

Lighting is used to very good effect. The set, built by Warren Houston and his team, stands up well to all the comings and goings - not a shake of any wall or door.

Isherwood is to be congratulated for choosing and directing a piece such as this. It is different and I am sure will be enjoyed by audiences.