The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Trinity Review

The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Trinity
Southern Amateur Theatre Company
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Southern Amateur Theatre Company brings The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Trinity to Port Noarlunga – the next instalment in plays written by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer.

The Vicar of Dibley began as a BBC sitcom in 1994, following the unconventional Geraldine Granger, played by Dawn French, as she arrives in the small village of Dibley and gradually wins over its eccentric congregation. The series paired its gentle rural setting with sharp, often irreverent comedy, and its ensemble of villagers became as beloved as Geraldine herself.

For audiences attending The Holy Trinity, that familiarity is part of the pleasure: Geraldine’s jokes, Alice’s misunderstandings, Jim’s hesitations, Owen’s gruffness and David’s pomposity are all instantly recognisable. The stage adaptation does not recreate episodes but invites the audience back into a world they already know, where even a familiar joke or well-worn character can prompt a knowing chuckle.

This stage adaptation draws from the 1999-2000 Spring and Summer episodes, with each Act presented as an episode. Act One follows the shenanigans in the christening of Alice and Hugo’s baby and a potential romance between Mr. Horton and the Vicar, while Act Two occurs in the summer and the water supply has been cut from the village, the water company offering to move everyone out of the village to create a dam, and Dibley reacting by putting on a gala to raise funds for the fight.

The pre-show housekeeping was delightfully delivered by Tim Cousin’s Jim Trott, complete with all his mannerisms, and each Act is earmarked with The Lord is My Shepherd, composed by Howard Goodall and performed by the Christ Church Cathedral Choir in Oxford; and the traditional attempt at Geraldine’s humour, in which Alice inevitably misunderstands the joke told.

Myles Leon returns as director for this instalment of The Vicar of Dibley, having previously directed many in this cast in his 2018 production. He has shaped this production with an understanding of its comic rhythms and its community-theatre appeal.

Deirdre Quinn's Geraldine Granger is warm and likeable, capturing the Vicar’s mix of compassion and quick wit, making her easy to warm to from the opening moments. Her delivery of the familiar jokes, and her reactions to Alice’s misunderstandings, land with a gentle, knowing charm that long-time fans of the series would have appreciate.

David Ratcliffe’s David Horton has a strong sense of self-importance, without allowing him to become a caricature. There is a nice vulnerability beneath the bluster, particularly as David’s feelings for Geraldine are surfaced and pronounced, even with some funny exclamations. His timing in the more pompous moments are well judged, and he makes the character’s occasional softer side believable.

Playing Hugo with an endearing innocence and gentle awkwardness is Wade Shiell, and he suits the character well. Shiell provides a good contrast to his father’s more forceful presence, and his scenes with Alice have a sweet, uncomplicated warmth. His comic timing is understated but effective, particularly when Hugo is caught between his father’s expectations and his own good nature.

John Martin handles the role of Owen Newitt with confidence and clear inhibition. He brings a gruff, earthy humour to the village. He also doubles as the Radio Announcer, giving him opportunity to add another layer to the production without losing clarity of either character.

Bringing a lovely nervous energy to Frank Pickle, George Kemp’s hesitations, stammering and earnestness are played with affection, making Frank perfectly boring, yet one of the more endearing members of the ensemble. He finds the humour in his character while allowing the audience to feel for him.

Barbara Henshaw gives Letitia a warm, slightly mischievous presence that fits comfortably within the village ensemble... and gives Cher some stern competition. Her performance is gentle, with a knowing quality, and she makes the most of the character’s more eccentric moments. She is a strong and enjoyable presence throughout both acts.

The bumbling Jim Trott is captured by Tim Cousins with a distinctive controlled hesitancy, making the repetition and uncertainty feel natural rather than forced, and all the more entertaining for the expecting audience. His timing is important to the humour of his role, while maintaining the character’s rhythm consistently.

Kate Saxon is a ditzy delight as Alice, bringing just the right level of sweetness, confusion and unwavering confidence in her own understanding of the world. Her responses to Geraldine’s jokes are among the production’s most reliable laugh moments, and she plays them with complete commitment, even storming out. Alice could easily become one-note, but Saxon gives her enough warmth and personality to keep the character alive.

The ensemble work well together, with each performer finding a place within the world of Dibley to call home. The production benefits from performances that understand the affection audiences have for these characters, while still giving them enough individual life to feel fresh on stage.

Additional cast include Vincent Fameli as the Bishop baptizing Alice’s baby, and Mr. Badcock from the water company; Cherylene O’Brien as the reporter, Paul Mychain; and Sandra Fameli as the Social Worker.

The familiar world of Dibley creeps into the audience with additional settings in either corner of the floor, making for some difficult viewing from the back of the room. As with a TV series, the script comes with several short scenes which unfortunately keep the show from fulling taking off, being met with continuous stopping, starting, and pauses while waiting for costume changes to happen backstage. Thankfully the various tracks used in between each scene were entertaining enough when noticing a connection within the scene just witnessed.

Despite this, The Vicar of Dibley: The Holy Trinity is indeed a warm production, where Leon has assembled a cast that understands the content, and created believable characters from the source material reminiscent of BBC’s work.

-  Andrew Broadbent