The Vicar of Dibley

From the opening notes of Howard Goodall’s arrangement of the 23rd Psalm we were transported back to the mid-1990s and a time of more gentle, but none the less hilarious, comedy. With a beautifully constructed and decorated split set – one half representing the Parish Hall and the other the Vicarage – the action moved swiftly between the many scenes. The director had managed to assemble a magnificent cast who not only had all the vocal mannerisms of the original TV series characters but uncannily also physically resembled them. Lesley Maclean as the ebullient Geraldine Granger, the eponymous Vicar of Dibley, gave an excellent performance - her interactions with Alice were hilarious. Sasha Devine was outstanding as the ditzy verger Alice Tinker - her every facial expression having the audience in stitches – a true tribute to the late Emma Chambers. Matt Tyrer as her shy and tongue-tied love interest Hugo Horton had everyone in the audience rooting for him in his quest to woo the mad-cap Alice. Richard Miemczyck as David Horton was every inch the cynical and pompous Council Chairman. Trevor Nicol as the stuttering and indecisive Jim Trott was excellent – his every utterance eliciting gales of laughter.  Martin Anderson also gave an excellent portrayal of sex-mad Owen Newitt with his pursuit of Geraldine adding greatly to the comedy in the piece. Ian Shearer as the Council Secretary was suitably dim and pernickety. Anne Bamborough as Letitia Cropley the organist and caterer – her description of the ingredients in her concoctions had the audience grueing – gave strong support. A truly wonderful, laughter filled evening’s entertainment. Congratulations everyone

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