Review by Jo Rymer for NODA
The Vicar of Dibley was first broadcast on BBC1 on 10th November 1994, comprising six episodes. The brainchild of the comedy genius Richard Curtis, was specifically written for Dawn French. Following the first series, an easter special and a Christmas special were broadcast in 1996.In May 2007, Richard Curtis received a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award for his humanitarian pursuits, as well as his creative work including The Vicar of Dibley. The amazing popularity of this beautifully written comedy continues to entertain today.
Bebington first staged The Vicar of Dibley in 2022, the finale being Alice and Hugo’s wedding. This second production, A Vicar of Dibley Christmas : The Second Coming, is based on the episodes ‘Dibley Live’ and ‘Winter’, in which the villagers set up a radio station and put on a nativity play at Owen’s farm.
We heard the instantly recognisable theme music – a setting of Psalm 23 composed by Howard Goodall, and was originally performed by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.We all felt a warm cosy glow, we were looking forward to a lovely evening. The audience has defined expectations when they come to see a successful show which is straight from television.The characters are so well known that the cast need to be on the top of their game, so as not to disappoint. As we all know, one of the key relationships in Dibley is the one the vicar Geraldine Granger (Sarah Jane Aston) has with the verger, Alice Horton (Steph Jones) and we were not disappointed. When Alice returns from her honeymoon, she finds that she is putting on weight. She turns to Geraldine for advice….denying that she is pregnant because the hamster didn’t turn blue….don’t ask, just accept it involves a very wet hamster and, one suspects, a Tinker family tree with myriad branches and a legend of purple parsnips. This is an hilarious scene with these very talented actors. We also see the return of Che Cullen as Hugo Horton, the naïve, unsophisticated hubby to Alice, and harassed son of David Horton. A Lovely performance. After coping with the village quiz and organising the week of Radio Dibley, Geraldine is amazed when Alice actually has a good idea. Why not put on a natvitiy play? Why not indeed! What can possibly go wrong?
The Parish Council meetings are prominent once again, the Chairman David Horton (David Oliver) brings gravitas to the role in keeping the village business top of the agenda. His quest to make Herod more approachable in the nativity play is a delight. Frank Pickle (Matthew Dodd) is once again pedantic to the extreme, the revelation of his sexuality in the radio broadcast is an unexpected surprise and beautifully handled by Matthew. Owen Newitt (Connor Jones) is a riot as Elvis Presley when auditioning for the nativity play. We were delighted to see Keith Hill once again as Jim Trott, his “No,no,no,no…yes?” speeches are perfectly timed and his Billie Jean King costume at the auditions is a hoot, a real crowd pleaser.
Letitia Cropley (Liz Shone), who concentrates on her knitting but never misses a thing, her facial expressions and gestures were hilarious. Then we have the vet (Roger Hesketh), a nice cameo. As I have mentioned earlier, audiences expect to see the familiar characters they feel they knew on stage. Now because the writing, which was for television rather than the theatre, meant this is a play that requires tight planning and rehearsal. Director Gareth Jones, production crew and cast, have done a good job to make the many scene changes possible while still sustaining the action and the comedy….especially in the last riotous scene, when Alice was playing Mary, gave birth to a daughter : She actually thought she had given birth to the “Son of God”. Geraldine had to put her mind at rest!!
Steph Jones is a very funny Alice. She captures the girlish simplicity of the character in naïve looks, guileless reactions and quick, childish claps and skips and twirls. A splendid performance – congratulations.
Thank you Bebington Dramatic Society for inviting me, looking forward to the next production.