The Vicar Of Dibley

Peterborough Operatic and Dramatic Society consistently produce the highest standard of amateur theatre, whether it be musicals or indeed plays, so expectations were high for their latest comedy venture. However, to say that these were exceeded, would be an understatement. I knew that this play, performed by PODS, would be a good one - but I had no idea of the excellence that I was about to witness. The Peterborough theatre going public were clearly excited at the prospect of this play too, as the society completely sold out in advance of opening and were forced to open an extra night, running seven shows in total.

As I arrived there was the warmest welcome from Pauline Iredale and the front of house team, as I was offered drinks and programmes and shown to my seat. PODS’ hospitality is second to none and their attention to detail here does not go unnoticed. 

‘Attention to detail’ will be the overriding theme, as everything about this production was outstanding. The direction, the acting, the costumes, the set, technicals, the backstage crew - everything had been produced with such ‘attention to detail’ that it would easily rival any professional production. There was nothing ‘amateur’ about PODS’ Vicar Of Dibley, and it is rare that I can say that about any amateur production. The passion that PODS has for its craft shines through and the result is a truly professional show.

As the audience entered, ecclesiastical music set the scene perfectly and we were greeted with an open set, split between Geraldine’s cottage and the Parish Hall, with a small side area depicting the church vestry. The studio theatre is simply a black box space, so the transformation here was unbelievable. The set design and construction, lighting design and sound throughout the piece were all superb and plaudits go to Rob Melhuish and John Lawrence for an exceptional result. Once again, the attention to detail was superb, from the wooden floor of the Parish Hall and the carpet of Geraldine’s living room (I rarely see a production where the floor has been dressed!) to the fire exit safety sign on the wall of the Parish Hall and the children’s drawings on the notice board. Geraldine’s first appearance has her coming in out of the pouring rain. She had the obligatory raincoat but almost never in amateur theatre would the coat be sprayed to make the hood and shoulders wet through. The lighting and sound effects were equally impressive. There are simply too many ‘little touches’ to mention here, suffice to say that it is all of these small details that make such a big difference and they did not go unnoticed.

Likewise, with costumes (Lucille Ash and Amanda Villamayor), it was the attention to detail that stood out. Mrs Cropley’s collection of brightly coloured hats and tights, in Act II Owen’s slicked down hair and buttonhole, Geraldine’s super sacred sweater and Alice’s incredible wedding attire! However, credit must go to Calvin Lawrence as the pompous David Horton, who shaved his head for the role - true dedication to his craft!

And now to our performers: with wonderful leadership from first time director for PODS, Sarah Shackell, each and every actor stood out. PODS is exceptional with the pool of talent that it has to choose from and this production was perfectly cast. It was incredible how like the characters that we know and love from the TV show each actor was, both in looks and mannerisms. Credit once again to Sarah here, for bringing out the physicality and vocal dexterity of the actors, in order to so successfully recreate those personalities on the stage. It would be remiss of me not to give a short credit to each one:

Jody Pottage (Geraldine Grainger) shone in her debut lead with the society and this comedy role clearly suited her well. Having been with PODS for many productions, it was lovely to see Jody’s interpretation of Dawn French’s celebrated, larger than life character on the stage and to witness the talent that had previously been reserved for the ensemble. An excellent performance. 

Dilara Greene (Alice Tinker) was born to play this role! Ditsy, kooky and just a little bit crazy, Dilara epitomises the lovable Alice in every way, however, I was very pleasantly surprised to see how this young lady has matured with her performing, showing us just what a talented actor she is becoming. If you closed your eyes, it was hard not to believe that it was Emma Chambers on the stage, Dilara could not have sounded more like this much missed actor if she tried. A fitting tribute and a superb job, well done! 

Calvin Lawrence (David Horton) is rapidly becoming PODS’ leading man - and rightly so. A superb portrayal in this role, Calvin it seems, can adapt to any role that he undertakes, both with humility and true professionalism. We disliked this overbearing character immensely, as he took over the parish meetings and undermined his son’s wishes. However, the closing word in this comedy piece was left to him and was delivered with such expression and poignancy that there were gasps from the audience. Excellent work.

Charlie Villamayor Corbitt (Hugo Horton) showed us what a talented young performer he is becoming with this role. With superb diction throughout and a lovely RP accent (not to mention a fabulous collection of ties!) Charlie gave us Hugo in a striking and delightful performance. Wonderful work, young man!

Philip Booty (Owen Newitt) was wonderfully revolting at every opportunity and had the audience squirming in their seats. Whether he was recounting tales of his time in the toilet (accompanied by incredible sound effects!), swearing profusely or proposing to Geraldine, we were both disgusted and delighted by him at the same time. Phil managed to capture Owen’s disengagement from the world around him perfectly, whilst still endearing us to this hard-to-love character. No mean feat and a job very well done. 

Tim Farr (Jim Trott) excelled in the role of this well-loved character. Tim’s performances with PODS grow with each production and this was a brilliant role for him. With great characterisation Tim delighted the audience with his no, no, no, no ..... yes!

Harvey Jones (Frank Pickle) was simply superb. Over the years Harvey has grown in both confidence and ability and has shown us what an exceptionally versatile actor he is. Starting with PODS five years ago as a shy teen lacking in self-belief for Habeus Corpus, he has since played many roles, from Grandma in The Addams Family (yes, GrandMa) to Joe in 9 to 5. However, taking on the role of the most boring elderly gentleman in Dibley proved a simple task for this talented young actor, who showed some great comic timing and was a joy to watch.

Lucille Ash (Letitia Cropley) is a seasoned performer and nothing phases her on stage. As an item she was handing round fell to the floor, Lucille calmly threw in an ad lib and carried on as the true professional that she is, as if nothing had happened. A wonderful performance from this lovely lady. A special mention must also go to Amanda Villamayor (woman in church)  and especially young Ben Haynes as Tinky Winky, who both waited patiently backstage until the last ten minutes of the play for their moment in the wedding scene. Ben, you were Tellytubby-tastic!

The script for The Vicar Of Dibley is a gift, but that being said, under Sarah Shackell’s direction PODS executed it beautifully. Perfect for fans of the original TV show, but equally entertaining for any non-believers, this comedy play excelled in every way. Another outstanding production from this talented society.

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