The Vicar of Dibley

Yesterday evening I was once again invited to watch Idle and Thackley Theatre Groups recent production, this time it was the Vicar of Dibley. This was their third time of performing these well-known and wonderful scripts from the famous and much-loved TV Series. Alyson Boote who had previously taken on the main role of Geraldine also took the role on this time and was a good look alike for the real thing. The director, Sara Temple, who also played Alice did a good job of using the space on stage to create the numerous staging needed to create setting and staging for the four episodes that were performed. Other members of the cast were both old and new with a special mention to newcomer Jez Oldfield who did a fantastic job of pulling off the character of Hugo. Other main characters were played by, Roy Byrom, playing Frank, Anne Bateson, Mrs Cropley, Philip Crann, playing Owen, Damien Fisher, playing David and a great job by Bob Cochrane who did a fantastic job of “No, No, No, Yes” Jim.

It was nice to see that this small theatre group were well supported by family, friends and the community. The audience clearly loving what was supposed to be happening on stage and at times what was not.

The company had chosen four scripts to perform in Act One we were treated to “The Christening”. Its time for Alice and Hugo’s baby to be christened, as Geraldine is one of the Godparents David has asked his good friend the bishop, played by Paul Wiles to perform the ceremony. Later, when an amazed David finds that he and Geraldine are well-matched, he asks her to marry him. He goes to some considerable lengths to demonstrate that he is prepared to change himself for her, and eventually she consents. Sense prevails, after a dream with Sean Bean in, and Geraldine manages to extricate herself from the nuptials. The second episode in Act 1 was “Summertime” Dibley is in the middle of a drought during a blistering hot summer. Mr Badcock, played by Ian Wood, also playing the reporter later in the scene, explains the water company have decided to solve the problem by turning Dibley into a reservoir, the villagers soon start to forget Dibley and focus on the money they will make or the new luxury retirement homes they will move to. Alice saves the day reminding them of how they will never see each other again. Geraldine chains herself to the church leading the villagers in a mass protest. The day is saved by the finding of a very “unusual endangered species”.

The fun and laughs continued into Act 2 with the episode of the “Christmas Lunch Incident”. Geraldine is inundated with several tempting offers of Christmas lunch, none of which she can happily dodge without grossly offending someone. Reluctantly, she decides she can force down a small serving at each, and so agrees to go to all three: with David; Jim and Frank; and Alice, her mum, cleverly played by Yvonne Crann and Hugo. Geraldine politely eats her way through some very big Christmas dinners to be nice to her parishioners, before Owen surprises her with a fourth! The final episode performed was probably one of my favourites screened “Community Spirit” The time has come to organise Dibley's annual fayre, and after raising a measly £200 last year, there are murmurs to support cancelling the event. The vicar, however, is determined that she can book a real celebrity to open festivities rather than some local nobody, and a solution appears to come when Alice reveals her cousin is one 'Reg Dwight'... Everyone thinks that Elton John is coming until Reg, played again by Paul Wiles turns up and is non other than yes Reg Dwight. Unfortunately, unlike the TV series Kylie Minogue didn’t turn up, that really would have put Idle on the map and maybe music from the Conservative Club downstairs would have stopped “Spinning Around” but the company did finish the show with a great chorus of Elton John hits much to the audience’s delight.

Performing such a classic as “The Vicar of Dibley” is no easy task as some audiences will no doubt expect to see the TV characters and not actors playing the characteristics however well done to the company and especially Alyson in the lead role on choosing and performing such memorable and well-known episodes.

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