The Vicar of Dibley: Another Helping

I always think it’s a brave decision by a society to produce a play based on a television series. Not only do you often have the challenge of the multi-settings, but it is also imperative that the cast bring the familiar characters to life in a way that doesn’t jar with the audience’s expectations. That doesn’t mean to say it necessarily needs to be an impersonation, but the actors must capture the essence of the original characters they are portraying. Grantham Dramatic Society did not disappoint.

The pivotal role of the vicar of Dibley, Geraldine Granger, was played by Victoria Dexter and she really was a tour de force. She moved around the stage, controlling the whole production, with a relaxed ease and naturalistic flair. Her facial expressions were very reminiscent of Dawn French and there were several occasions where she could have been Dawn’s double. Overall, Victoria’s comic timing was very good, there were just a few moments where she underplayed a punchline or an aside, so it lost its fizz. Her scenes with the verger, Alice Tinker, were simply joyful and the two actors had a great rapport.

Alice was portrayed with high energy and wonderful physicality by Sharne Gimbert, and it was evident from the outset that she had studied the mannerisms and vocality of Emma Chambers. Sharne really impressed me with her performance and was very funny. She oozed warmth and the audience clearly loved her. She had some brilliantly bizarre lines and Sharne delivered them with relish, my favourite being, ‘He’s sucked out all my juice and discarded me like an empty carton of Ribena.’

Alice’s love interest, and local ‘Tim Nice but Dim’, is Hugo Horton and was played by Steve Healey. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this performance, I’ll admit it seemed to take a little while for Steve to relax into the role, however when he did, my word, he was excellent, and he really came into his own during Act Two. There were so many lovely moments for him. His entrance in his colourful boxer shorts was hilarious as was the subsequent man spread. The awkwardness before the kiss with Alice was wonderfully played by both actors, as was Geraldine’s discomfort as they disappeared behind the sofa. Hugo’s leg tremble was inspired.

The role of Hugo’s father, David Horton, was performed by Gus Sparrow who had lovely stage presence with good projection and diction. Gus had obviously worked hard on his portrayal, even going as far as shaving his head (now that’s dedication). He brought the eminent and stately side of David’s character to the stage, however there were occasions when I felt he didn’t quite capture his bullishness and acidic manner. In other words, he was just a bit too pleasant for my taste, and this meant there wasn’t quite enough contrast when he was playing the pathos in the more touching moments, scenes which were beautifully handled by Gus.

On to the remaining members of the parish council. Firstly, the likeable but boring and pedantic clerk, Frank Pickle. This role was taken by Daniele Petruzzo who was sporting a grey wig to age him. Playing much older than you actually are is not easy, but Daniele achieved it with considerable skill. His monotone delivery and weary physicality encapsulated Frank’s dull personality and provided a lovely contrast to the more dynamic characters.

John Webber as Jim Trott was simply superb, and there were times I forgot I wasn’t watching Trevor Peacock, the original actor from the television series. John brought the character to life with such skill and dexterity, masterfully depicting Jim’s idiosyncratic speech impediment. He delivered numerous one-liners with brilliant comic timing and his lines which almost closed the play were moving and exquisitely played.

The final member of the parish council is the very earthy local farmer, Owen Newitt. This role was played by Leigh Matsell who, for me, stole the show with his performance. Leigh effortlessly captured Owen’s blunt personality and deadpan delivery and had so many magic moments. His ponderings on if cows could talk were fabulous as were his hosting skills at his tripe-ladened Christmas dinner. I loved it when he threw the coat on the floor and then casually announced he’d got an upset stomach in his trademark tactless manner. The kissing scene was spectacular, but my favourite moment was when he broke the ‘fourth wall’ to say to the audience, ‘Don’t patronise me, you b**tards.’ Leigh’s performance was a masterclass in character comedy acting.

This incredibly strong ensemble cast were ably supported by a number of actors giving cameo performances. Vicky Aves and Nicki McKay were clearly having fun as Alice’s mother and sister in their Christmas lunch scene. The carol singing children, Carla Hibbert and Sarah Alice-Smith, had good stage presence. I really enjoyed Sarah Clark’s comic turn as the inexperienced social worker and Mark Brown stole his scenes as the bellowing bishop.  

Mark Brown was also one of the directors, alongside Sophie Read, and they should both be congratulated on bringing out the best in their actors. The pace of the performances was excellent as was the comic timing, and there was a lot of attention to detail. I thought the video sequences were brilliant; the Star Wars style credits which filled the audience in on un-staged events was a genius idea, and the wedding sequence was expertly filmed/edited by Steve Healey (such a shame ‘David’ had hair at that point though!)

The set design by Hope Morgan and Cirice Russell was simple and effective with select pieces of furniture used to represent different settings. I really like the use of projection, however I do think more could have been made of this, maybe a backdrop to illustrate the village hall or the Horton’s wallpaper, for example. The only elements that jarred slightly were the plastic stools around the long table and the plastic chair behind Geraldine’s desk. The lighting was strong, with good use of pooling to isolate sections of the stage. I felt some of the transitions between scenes were very slick, but others were more laboured and definitely needed music to cover the ‘dead air’ at these points.

Well done to Chris Sparrow and Sophie Read for providing some excellent props, stand outs for me were the turkey, the advent calendar montage and the Horton Family portrait. The costumes by Rosemary Gibson were also excellent, as was the hair and makeup by Cirice Russell, both enhancing the character’s personalities effectively. I particularly liked the programme by Tom McKay and cover artwork by Helen Pack, it was colourful, well-presented and I loved the ‘favourite lines from the show’ element – I’ll be pinching that idea!

The Vicar of Dibley: Another Helping was funny, slick and professional with a very high standard of direction and performance. Big congratulations to Mark, Sophie, producer, Nicki McKay, and stage manager, Nick Elliott, for bringing such a quality piece of theatre to the stage. This is my second visit to the Guildhall Arts Centre in the past month, both productions centred around a vicar, and both productions showcasing the wealth and talent that Grantham has within its amateur dramatics’ community.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.