Bringing to life any stage adaptation featuring not only well known, but well-loved characters is no mean feat, but The Limelight Theatre in Wanneroo has taken on the challenge with full force in their November season of The Vicar of Dibley.
Crowds were lined up all the way outside the venue when we arrived, eagerly awaiting this matinee performance on a sunny Sunday. If the front of house volunteers were at all overwhelmed by the rush of people, they didn’t show it, as they scanned tickets and shuffled us all to our seats for the performance to begin.
The hit 90’s show, which this play follows, is set in the small village of Dibley, where, following the death of their long-time vicar, the parish eagerly awaits the arrival of his successor, only to be confronted with a female vicar, ready to challenge the way things are done. Based on the Dawn French led series created by Richard Curtis, the stage play has been adapted by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter.
The production was impeccably cast, with many whispers amongst the packed audience each time a new character appeared. Leisha Fox was unwaveringly spot on in her portrayal of the iconic Geraldine Granger, from the voice to her mannerisms; you could get so caught up in her performance you may forget you weren’t looking at Dawn French. Em Carver’s silly and sweet Alice Tinker was a joy to watch and the chemistry between her and the vicar, as well as with love-struck Hugo (Limelight regular Jason Pearce) made for very convincing performances.
Gordon Park was suitably snobbish as Parish Council Chairman David Horton and there was almost an audible cringe from the crowd each time Chris Juckes’ Owen Newitt spoke, oblivious to his tendency to overshare. Roger Oakes, as fan favourite Jim Trott and Ajay Karia as Frank Pickles made great additions to this strong cast in their supporting roles, and Gwen Browning was subtly wonderful to watch as experimental cook Mrs Cropley.
Director Shelley McGinn also happens to be the group’s Wardrobe Manager, and you can tell, with clear care taken on the details for each character’s costumes, for some of which there were many. The group made clever use of the stage, a split between the parish hall and the vicarage straight down the middle and a small section front of stage for the traditional end-of-episode chats between Alice and Geraldine.
Unlike some stage adaptations of TV shows that are a standalone story, The Vicar of Dibley play is a compilation of episodes of the show bringing familiar moments and jokes to the stage. So well-remembered is this show, I could often hear people around me finishing the lines before the cast had a chance; it was hard to find it anything but charming when I was doing the same in my head.
For those wanting to join in the fun, I am delighted for the group that there are only very limited tickets remaining, so you’ll want to be quick. It’s great to see so many people back out supporting community theatre with shows achieving more than one sell out performance in their run.
To book tickets to The Vicar of Dibley, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/limelight/.
