***
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Until Sat 15 July
The direction in Everyman Theatre’s production of The Vicar of Dibley mostly lacked an effective use of theatre format in adapting the television programme for the stage. Split into two areas (Geraldine’s home and the community hall), the show featured repetitive blocking as the actors largely stayed in their fixed zones, with a door upstage underutilised and no use of levels until the finale. This repetition in the stage use, alongside slow, slightly awkward scene transitions with some ill-fitting music, led certain sections of the show to drag. The production provides a steady stream of smiles and gentle laughs, so a greater sense of pace would have helped keep it going, especially through scenes where certain jokes are overused. Although brief moments of self-aware humour regarding the stage were clear attempts to circumvent these issues, they felt out of place among the rest of the show’s approach, and only managed to bring these problems more into light.
It was the performances then, which truly kept the show afloat. It began rather limply, some of the performances slightly timid, rigid, and with weak projection. As the show progressed, however, they became much more assured in their physicality and character interaction. There were small flaws peppered through some of the performances, Fiona Porter-Smith as Geraldine remaining a reliable lead and full of energy, but falling into repetitive delivery. Despite this, each actor excelled in a certain area and had a strong grasp of character. Sophie Lewis as Alice Tinker maintained spot on delivery, physical humour, clear comfort in her role, and genuine stage presence throughout, elements which other actors only fully achieved as it went on.
By the finale they felt like a bizarre family unit, a good atmosphere among the audience rubbing off from the sense of community in the cast. The direction similarly became more assured in the finale, with some visual jokes through use of costume, and the lighting reinforcing the fun, party atmosphere. Although the production needed a greater immediate confidence in its direction and performances to fully succeed, the final scene capped it off well and summarised the whole experience; sweet, funny and heartfelt.
words EDWARD LEE