REVIEW - The Vicar of Dibley, Louth Playgoers, 11th - 15th March 2025 - ****
- theatrereviews
- Mar 12
- 3 min read
For directors Sarah Elliott and Jamie Harris, when it comes to staging this seminal sitcom, there are more hurdles than usual. What the audience want can’t as easily be determined, and what any performing troupe can deliver could be eschewed; do theatregoers want ‘the small screen on stage’ or are they seeking an altogether different interpretation?
When being adapted for the stage, some sitcoms lend themselves better than others. The classic, post-war variety (Dad’s Army, Open All Hours, Are You Being Served?, Fawlty Towers) had their varying degrees of farce escalating in one central setting: the village hall, Arkwright’s shop, Grace Brothers clothing department, the lobby and adjoining office and restaurant, respectively. By the time the genre had moved into the 1980s and the 1990s, the action tended to be split across various, albeit repetitive, locales (Blackadder, ‘Allo! ‘Allo! and Keeping Up Appearances all had three or so main sets). The Vicar of Dibley, originally broadcast 1994 – 2000, but was resurrected for four, grandiose specials in 2004-2007 as well as numerous Comic Relief specials, falls into the latter; the directors, while earnestly chasing to recreate the series - graced with a magnificent cast and a tried-and-tested script - have supposedly had less of a task in dealing with more traditional directing congenialities, but rather more of a task ensuring that the three episodes/stories unfold as fluidly and engrossingly as logistically possible.
The three episodes that Louth Playgoers are tackling (Arrival, The Easter Bunny and Engagement) are the opening episodes of 1994’s series 1 and 1997’s series 2, with The Easter Bunny acting as a seasonal special for 1996. Written by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, the first show hit the ground running; all of the main recurring characters (Geraldine Granger, Alice Tinker, David and Hugo Horton, Letitia Cropley, Jim Trott, Owen Newitt and Frank Pickle) arrived set in stone at the first episode, immortalised by those wonderful character actors of a, sadly, bygone era (rather bleakly, only Dawn French and James Fleet of the original cast are still alive).In Louth Playgoers’ zestful production, the performances across the board are praiseworthy. Some give a note-perfect impersonation (Natalie Clark as Geraldine, Michael Parker as Jim and Kevin Campbell as Owen) while others bring about their own interpretation (Taya White as Alice, Joanne Charlton as Letitia, Andrew De Renzi as Frank, Gareth King as David and Darren Melton as Hugo), while still successfully depicting the familiar character traits (there’s a scene where Darren Melton gets tangled while idly twiddling with a loose thread off his woolly jumper, leading to a wonderful throwaway sight gag, for example). Whether impersonation or interpretation, all the cast demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of what has gone before, and all carry commendable comic timing.
Although the passage of time has dated The Vicar of Dibley (not for its context, or language or cultural references, but rather that it appears more parochial and comfortingly twee these days), there are huge laughs to be had, and many moments that linger long in the mind. The opening half-hour, granted, is mainly an exercise in exposition (is anyone coming to see a Vicar of Dibley tribute show without already knowing the overall context of the series?), however, the bigger moments are neatly nestled within the second and third episodes. The series – unfairly, in my view - came under some fire for becoming saccharine, even preachy, in its latter incarnations, however, these early scripts, and tonight’s performance, provided many neatly-drawn and brilliantly-played moments of raw drama. Extra credit to Andy De Renzi, as ‘Dibley’s most boring inhabitant’ Frank Pickle, for conveying these with balanced pathos.
The Vicar of Dibley is a cumbersome, unwieldy product to transfer to the stage and, granted, there are some scene changes, though deftly handled by the backstage team, that would be moribund, were the scripts to be truly adapted for the stage. Likewise, there are some references that stick out like a sore thumb. That level and amount of work has not been done here, (the copyrights for stage adaptations are notoriously prickly), but it is of little detriment to the evening. If you’re a fan of the original, you’ll love this.
The Vicar of Dibley is being performed at the Riverhead Theatre in Louth, Tuesday 11th - Saturday 15th March 2025. Tickets have officially sold out, however, there is a waiting list for any cancelled tickets. Click on the link below for further information.
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