The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom which originally ran on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2007. It is set in the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley, which is assigned a female vicar following the 1993 changes in the Church of England that permitted the ordination of women. In 2004, it was placed third in a BBC poll of Britain's Best Sitcoms.
This stage version was created by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter, adapted from the original TV series by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer.
Every time I have seen Vicar of Dibley on stage, including the version I directed, it has been staged as three separate episodes but this was different. Whilst still using material from a number of episodes, they were very cleverly “merged” to create a full length play revolving around the romance and wedding of Hugo and Alice, with a beginning, a middle and an ending. All the action took place in just two locations – the vicarage and the Parish Hall. So, although there were over 20 separate scenes, the play smoothly transitioned between them and maintained the flow and pace of the play, with the clever use of filmed jokes from Geraldine.
Standing left to right - Chris Iredale, Iain Johnson, Tom Barber, Peter Buller, Heather Appleton, Steve Hunt, Debbie Forsyth,
Justin Enthoven, Carol Blades
Sitting left to right - Sue Hickson, Joyce Liggins, Jerry Harvey, Ruth Dodsworth, Carol Bailey
Ruth Dodsworth, as Geraldine Grainger, had the unenviable task of following in Dawn French’s footsteps. Ruth, whilst not having the physique of Dawn, certainly had the comic timing and delivery. Her “babe with a bob” was an absolute joy to watch. And her filmed “joke” interludes with Alice were hilarious.
Hugo and Geraldine have a discussion about "It"
The public have certain expectations with TV adaptations, in that they expect the same characterisation as the actors on television. Well, the public must have been delighted with Hugo Horton (Peter Buller) and Alice Tinker (Heather Appleton).
Hugo proposes to Alice
They assured me that they hadn’t spent hours studying old episodes but every nuance, every skirt swish, every awkward moment was spot on. The chemistry between the two of them was a joy to watch. And, what about the longest stage kiss ever? (It was that long, it lasted through the interval.)
Hugo and Alice finally kiss
What about Steve Hunt as Jim Trott? Was he any good? No, no, no, no….. yes. Again, he must have studied his character so carefully to get it just right, not only vocally but physically as well. And that is equally true of the rest of the Parish Council – David Horton, played by Society stalwart, Jerry Harvey, came across perfectly as the bombastic Chair, just wanting to protect is hopeless son; Frank Pickle, played by Chris Iredale, Letitia Cropley, played by Joyce Liggins, and Owen Newitt, played by Iain Johnson, all brought their own unique contributions to the rather chaotic Council meetings – Frank with his minutes, Letitia with her strange baking contributions and Owen with his gross habits. I shouldn’t ignore Debbie Forsyth, who came on at the end, delivered a couple of lines and almost stole the show.
Hugo and Alice get married
As a team, they all worked together to create an hilarious two hours.
Of course, it’s not just the actors on stage who are part of that team – there is another group of people who contribute to the production to make it such a joy to watch. There was such attention to detail on the beautifully dressed set – it looked and felt like a vicarage. So full credit to the large team of people who built and designed the set, too many to mention, but all under the control of the Stage Manager, Justin Enthoven. I must also mention the props team – Carol Blades, Joyce Liggins and Wendy Oldham. I believe it was Carol’s first time doing props. An interesting baptism for her with weird wedding cakes, vegetable bouquets etc etc.
Frank Pickle and Mrs Cropley at the Parish Council Meeting
Lighting was spot on (no pun intended) thanks to Steve Hunt and Carol Bailey and every sound cue was accurate and timely (Tom Barber). The costumes were well presented, appropriate and in keeping with the spirit of the production. (Letitia had more costume changes than lines of script !) Well done, Ruth Dodsworth and team.
Geraldine and David have a discussion
The Director, Sue Hickson, should be extremely proud of this production. She did a fabulous job bringing out the best of her cast and bringing out the full humour of the play. And what a pleasure to chat to afterwards – her enthusiasm for amateur theatre was a joy.
Thank you, once again, for a splendid evening and for your hospitality.
Bryan Craven, NODA
Photographs by Sue Hickson and Joyce Liggins
The Cast