THE VICAR OF DIBLEY

by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter

Directed by Jonathan Mallinson

Blackburn Drama Club

 

First of all I should like to welcome Blackburn Drama Club into the ACT Family and it was with great pleasure that I went to the superb Thwaites’ Empire Theatre to see the company’s opening season production.

 

I had only read the script of the play some time ago, and have never watched an episode of the television series on which this play was based.  This placed me somewhat at a disadvantage as I had no idea what the characters on screen were like, and seeing the play cold meant that the characterisations on stage seemed a little strange, and a little, shall we say, “over the top”.  However, the audience’s reaction dispelled any doubts I might have had as it became obvious the characters were as played on screen.  And this, of course, is exactly as it should be to fulfil the audience’s expectations.

 

Gradually, as the narrative of the play unfolded, I became drawn in to this rather bizarre world of the village of Dibley and its parish council.  The play made me laugh – a lot – as it proved to be saucy in parts, and very, very funny overall.

 

Andrew Smith as David Horton, kept his parish council under control, just, despite the best efforts of Clive Stack as Frank Pickle who wished to minute everything in his records despite not keeping up with the actual business in hand.  Both players had a thorough grasp of the roles and kept the business of the council moving along nicely.

 

The somewhat less-than-helpful interjections by the “no, no,no no, yes” Jim Trott played by Trevor Lord were totally in keeping with the off-the-wall Dibley Parish Council.  Keeping such a characterisation consistent throughout the play was impressive and Trevor is to be applauded for a fine portrayal.

 

Barbara Chadwick playing Letitia Cropley kept the council fed with less than palatable fare.  Fish with everything conjured up so many different images.  I was also impressed by her knitting, the scarf growing longer and longer with each sitting of the council.  This was a finely tuned performance.

 

Martin Cottam as Owen Newitt was superb.  The bluff, over-sexed, frustrated livestock farmer was so true to the life of this village that you could almost visualise him with his arm inside a cow when he came to the council meeting, late, but still with a surgical sleeve on his arm. A very well controlled performance that had the audience in stitches at his comments.

 

Whilst the play relies on complete teamwork, the principal characters of Hugo, Alice , and of course, Geraldine, were always going to take centre stage.  And so it was here.  Hugo was played by Paddy Walsh who kept up the characterisation so well that I could believe he would catalogue his tie collection and keep a record of every catchphrase from all the films he had watched.  The very funny scene with the Lent sacrifices was perfectly timed.  This was an excellent performance.

 

His love interest, apart from Sigourney Weaver, et al, was of course, Alice Tinker.  What a lovely portrayal this was, too.  Played by Neely Jillings, Alice was the focal point of Hugo’s life and she played the role for all it was worth.  The kissing sequence was hilarious and all credit to Alice and Hugo for what must be the longest kiss in the history of theatre.  Seemingly never coming up for air, Hugo and Alice became one but were never embarrassing for the audience.  Superb playing from two very talented actors.

 

Of course, the main character in this play is the Vicar of Dibley herself.  Geraldine Granger was played by Kate Roberts who was outstanding. Overcoming the misogynistic attitudes of the Parish Council, she soon set her stamp on this community and became an integral part of village life.  Kate became Geraldine.  Every subtle nuance was there and the scene with Owen Newitt was sheer perfection.

 

The wedding scene was hilarious, especially with the interjection by the objector to the impending union, only to realise that she was at the wrong wedding.

I am reliably informed that the proceedings were an excellent representation of the television series.

 

I should like to make a special mention of the contribution by the four children, Abigal Birney (Lizzie), Darcy Tayler (Katie), Robert Bargh (Luke) and Xander Quirk (Archie).  These were delightful cameos and their happy, smiling faces showed that they were enjoying being a part of this madcap world that was Dibley.

 

Because the whole storyline was created using scenes from various episodes of the television series, and because of an audience’s expectations, the director’s hands were somewhat tied in regard to creativity.  However, Jonathan Mallinson  had guided his cast extremely well so that devotees of the The Vicar of Dibley will have been delighted indeed at seeing their favourites come to life on the Empire Theatre Stage.

 

The stage at the Empire is wide, giving ample playing area for the Parish Council Committee Rooms and the vicarage, as well as a side setting for the church.

The thrust stage was used for the wedding scene so that we focused on the unfolding proceedings rather than the sets.

 

The staging was excellent, as was the décor, and lighting and sound contributed well to the overall presentation.

 

The audience will have left the theatre very, very happy.  Many congratulations on presenting an extremely funny play.

 

Thank you for your warm hospitality, and I look forward to meeting more of you in the forthcoming season.