Jo Wood enjoys another visit to Dibley

The Vicar of Dibley Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe Review: Jo Wood

SMALL Pond Productions scooped the Christmas number one spot, in my opinion, with their second visit to Dibley.

Britain has taken The Vicar of Dibley to its heart, treasuring every eccentric character, and likes nothing better than a Christmas special.

Here were three of the best-loved episodes skilfully adapted by Lee Baxendale played out to a very full Landmark Theatre filled with nostalgic laughter. Bawdy and irreverent, Dibley still seems an innocent and charming place to be.

The whole cast were clearly enjoying every minute — almost as much as we were. Ian Gray, as the stuffy David Horton, did exceptionally well to keep a straight face throughout. We also met again the old-womanish Frank (Robert Zarywacz); Jim 'No, No, No' Trott (Mike Bennett); the unhygienic Owen (Tony Scarratt) and the stylish Mrs Cropley (Pamela Beecham).

Debbie Hadley was born to play Dawn French's iconic role as the Vicar. Her performance was a delight, her jumpers amusing, and her rapport with Alice (Elena Wright) perfectly balanced. Remember the Christmas dinner episode when she must eat an inordinate number of Brussels sprouts? Every excruciating mouthful was hilarious.

Cleverly covering scene changes and telling the story was the choir extravagantly conducted by Jay Moore. They also appeared as colourful carol singers, with the familiar words adapted. I really liked the use of TV screens for the Songs of Praise episode. That's the one, as I'm sure you recall, when Peter Capaldi, as the dynamic producer appears in the village and catches the Vicar's eye. James Rushton was making his debut in Dibley, and certainly the audience was appreciative of his smug and self-assured characterisation.

Central to the story were the ingenuous Alice and floppy-haired Hugo (Laurence Butler) who now have the award for the longest stage kiss ever! It took a huge amount of engineering by the Vicar to get them up the aisle — but we were all thrilled to bits when Alice appeared with her lit-up headdress, telly tubby 'bridesmaids' and a dress emblazoned with 'I Love Hugo'.

Leaving the theatre with that warm glow, we guests at the wedding got to shake hands with the bride and groom. It was a lovely touch, and we left feeling that Christmas had truly begun. Perhaps in two-years' time Small Pond will consider another Christmas visit to Dibley? Can I book my ticket now please?