Growing up in the 90’s, the iconic TV series, ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ provided much entertainment and laughter. So it’s a daunting task for anyone to want to take this on but director Julie Wilson clearly was unperturbed! It was comedy at its best! As the play started I forgot about the original.

The play written by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer was everything you wanted/needed and more! The hardest task is always casting and Julie’s casting was brilliantly chosen.

A female vicar is sent to a small rural village, Dibley, where she is greeted by a rather ‘eclectic’ bunch of characters! The incredibly gifted team that built the set created the vicarage and church hall, where the local town council meetings were held on one half and the Vicar’s home on the other half of the stage! It was an exceptionally clever idea and worked very well. The stage crew, led by stage manager Hannah Nixon, were smooth, but I felt that the scene changes could have been assisted by the cast who could have folded chairs and put them back out in between scenes. Act 1 flowed well with a very enjoyable pace. Act 2 seemed slightly slower and the “scene changes/gaps” seemed a little too long. Understandable to small costume changes but I felt that maybe these didn’t need to be so frequent.

We first meet Councillor David Horton played with pure conviction by Maurice Kachuk. His portrayal of David was utterly brilliant! Maurice was controlled, confident and was able to bring to life the old-fashioned, callous, rigid bully with ease! Maurice commanded the stage and each line delivered with confidence and conviction. The perfect casting!

We also meet Hugo Horton, the son of David, who played by Tim Martin. Tim was able to channel the dim-witted, sweet natured, yet child-like personality, with such ease! Tim gave us some great comedic moments and truly delighted us with his high fashion ties and sexy trousers, which caused a bit of a stir! When Hugo proposed to Alice there was a truly magical moment where it seemed Tim (or should I say Hugo), truly, got in the moment.

Played by Tim’s off-stage wife, Theresa Martin, Alice was everything you expected from the totally blonde, bumbling, bubbly verger to the vicar! Theresa gave a strong and confident performance! She was captivating and was very entertaining. This made the pairing, with her husband, the perfect casting. Her wedding dress just lit up the room!

Dianne Aspinall gave a really joyful performance as Letticia Cropley. I thought Dianne’s portrayal of Mrs Cropley was fun, engaging and she captured the characters essence! It’s hard not to compare to the original characters but Dianne took a different approach which was more lovable and dim-witted. I can’t imagine anyone would asking her to cater for a party any time soon though.

Jim Trott was played by Barry Aspinall and was just exceptional! Barry was able to truly channel the character and everything we love about him! His no-no-no-no-no-knowing me, no-no-no-no-no-no-knowing you, aha! Had everyone in fits of laughter! A brilliant performance.

Our clerk, Frank Pickle, played by John Hammond was perfectly dull. His comedic timing was on point. A true professional and embodies everything he does! John’s version of Frank gave way to much laughter and his line set ups were done perfectly.

Let’s not forget our local farmer, Owen. Towering over 6 foot, big bushy beard and the glazed look was just divine! Tony Mears was absolutely perfect for the role and didn’t disappoint with his delivery! What an absolute joy to watch. His delivery of the blunt and somewhat unfiltered man, was played with ease. This was his first appearance on stage and after that this I doubt it will be his last!

Now who’s missing??? Oh yes …. The Vicar and yes, it’s a woman! The “bob-cut and magnificent bosom” was a bit of a give away!  Bobby Oddy gave a stellar performance as Geraldine Grainger. Her one liners and presence on stage was amazing to see. Bobby is certainly no stranger to the stage and it was wonderful to see her shine in this iconic role! It’s hard to encapsulate the essence of the incredible Dawn French and I was delighted that Bobby brought her own to the role and I have to commend her for taking it on! Bobby was confident, in control and funny! Well done on a truly wonderful performance!

The play had a few cameo roles where we were graced with the presence of two of the Teletubbies who joined as Alice’s “bridesmaids” and were so funny! Then we had a true scene stealer – Martie Cain. Albeit a couple lines but delivered perfectly! Then we have Simon Horton, played by Simon Apsey, whose brief appearance on stage attributed to a several comedic moments!

The staging was wonderfully done and I loved that the audience was used as Geraldine’s congregation! This was a stroke of genius! A wonderful afternoon with so much laughter! Well done all on a wonderful production.