Vicar of Dibley Christmas

A touch of deja-vu attended the Reading Room at Ovingham with me, for this second bite at the Vicar of Dibley cherry!  Back in November 2013, Ovingham Drama Group presented The Vicar of Dibley, written by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter, based upon the original television scripts of Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Smith.  Now, from the same creative team, comes A Vicar of Dibley Christmas.  As before, all the much-loved characters are present and correct and, largely, played by the same actors, recalling but not slavishly copying the television originals.

Christmas in March does seem to be stretching things a bit but, it was a cold and windy night and the weather outside reflected the time of year depicted inside. Jeanette Hunter and Lorraine White once again played the Vicar and the Verger, Alice manages to misunderstand almost everything the Vicar says to her, and those moments when Geraldine tries to tell her a joke were beautifully realised.  Jim Wardle revisits the part of the pompous David Horton, terribly conflicted at his son’s relationship with Alice.  He thinks she is stupid, not realising this makes her a perfect match for son Hugo, played by Ian Dixon, who is similarly challenged.  Because this is set in December, the time of The Nativity, a birth might be appropriate and Alice obliges with the Village Council looking on.  Shades of Call the Midwife – that show has much to answer for!

Without wishing to play favourites, I have to highlight the character/performance of Richard Heslop, taking on Trevor Peacock’s character, Jim Trott.  His wig deserved a credit of its own in the programme, and he had the art of stuttering Jim’s famous lines “No, no, no, no …yes” off to a T.  Very funny.

Another Heslop, Jim, also reprised his role as the lecherous Owen Newitt, played with a deadpan sense of humour, straight-faced as he utters the most inappropriate “compliments”, aimed at the Vicar.

The script takes a lot for granted, assuming the audience to be familiar with the characters and the set-up.  Being a play, the running time is quite short and the evening rollicks along, joke after joke, set piece after set piece, until it is almost a relief to attend the birth of Alice’s baby, giving Dibley its own Nativity Story.  Once again, Ovingham Drama Group provided their audience with a very entertaining couple of hours.

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