It was a night to remember! Haddenham Players produced yet another triumph with 'The Vicar of Dibley – Seasonal Offerings', the sequel to their 2018 production. The original scripts were again skilfully adapted by Rebecca Taylor, seamlessly adding her own material into the mix. The over results were hilarious and impressive in equal measure!
As director, Rebecca selected the perfect cast. Every one of the actors gave an outstanding performance, reminiscent of the original, whilst making it entirely their own. There were many times when, if you closed your eyes, one could imagine that members of the original, much-love TV programme were actually on the stage. So good were all the cast that it would be unfair to single out any one of them for particular praise.
Local favourite, Hannah Austin, reprised her role as Geraldine Granger in a faultless performance. Other locals taking part were Graham Stoney, again as Frank Pickle, Dermot Kennedy who took over the role of Hugo Horton, and Cassy Childs, who sang and acted in various walk on roles.
Aylesbury actors Phil Donnelly and James Kershaw returned as David Horton and Simon Horton respectively. Two further new recruits to the Haddenham Players were Chris Barnett as Jim Trott and Iain Houston as Owen Newitt.
The technique of using filmed sequences was revisited, this time involving Geraldine and Simon re-enacting the famous puddle scene, which was very well received by the audience.
The production was again under the direction of Rebecca Taylor, who played Alice Horton for the second time. Her skilful use of music, some of which she composed specifically for the production, as well her use of the filmed sequences, helped to create a production that considerably excelled the quality and scope of that one might anticipate of a local amateur dramatic experience.
The stage was cleverly set up as three different locations and the backstage crew, led by stage manager Gordon Lawson, worked hard with the many scene changes. Some cleverly and very skillfully created props, such as the protest railings and the baby's portrait, only appeared very briefly – a tribute to the care and attention that had gone into the set design.
Scene changes were accompanied by Jenny Hardy on the piano, playing well-known hymns in a light-hearted style to add some interest. She very subtly adjusted the chosen hymns on the fly to suit the timings perfectly.
Haddenham Players has gone from strength to strength in the last few years and, as their 'The Vicar of Dibley' franchise has demonstrated, their productions are of the highest quality. Well done to everyone involved.
There are lots of photos to enjoy in the Galleries section of this website.
