Adapted by Ian Gower
and Paul Carpenter
Directed by Jon
Elphick
Tempo Theatre Inc, Belconnen
Theatre to 3 November
Reviewed by Len Power
26 October 2018
Tempo Theatre and their director, Jon Elphick, had a hit
back in 2016 with their production of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’, a stage adaptation
of the popular British TV sitcom which ran from 1994 to 2007, starring Dawn
French.
Tempo’s new production, ‘A Vicar of Dibley Christmas – The
Second Coming’, is a Canberra premiere of a second stage adaptation. Director, Jon Elphick, has managed to retain
virtually all the original cast from the 2016 show.
This time, the vicar is keen to put on a Christmas show for
the small village but enlisting the help of the well-meaning local characters
turns out to be not such a good idea.
The resulting Nativity play is a disaster but somehow the true meaning
of Christmas comes through.
Jon Elphick has directed a very entertaining production with
a fine cast who play the wickedly funny characters with enthusiasm. A major strength of the production is the
cast members’ skill at mimicking the characters from the TV show. They are all well cast and display fine comic
timing, making every funny line work.
Karyn Tisdell, who normally graces our opera and concert
stages with her fine singing voice, does a creditable Dawn French as the
vicar. Her determination to be warm and
encouraging, no matter what, is very amusing. Kasey Tomkins is hysterically funny as the
terminally dim Alice Tinker-Horton and Sam Kentish is delightful as Hugo, her naive
but well-meaning young husband.
 |
| Kasey Tomkins (left) and Karyn Tisdell (right) |
As the meek and deadly culinary experimenter, Mrs Letitia Cropley, Marian Fitzgerald gives a fine portrait of this woman and her recipes. No-one plays the organ in quite the same way that she does.
Kim Wilson and Garry Robinson are very funny as the snobbish
Chairman and pedantic Secretary of the Parish Council and Jason Morton as rough
farmer, Owen Newitt, has some of the best one-liners and delivers them like
well-targeted bombs.
As the dirty old man, Jim Trott, Jon Elphick is a riot. Watching him play one of the three kings –
Billie Jean – in the Nativity play has to be one of the comedy highlights of
the year.
Tempo Theatre, with this really funny show, have given us an
early Christmas present this year.
This review was first
published in the Canberra City News digital edition of 27 October 2018.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast in his ‘On Stage’ performing arts radio program on Mondays
and Wednesdays from 3.30pm on Artsound FM 92.7.