MORRISBURG – Mark Friday evening, May 5, 7 p.m., on your calendar. On that night, Geraldine Granger and her hilarious gang of Heavenly Misfits will be coming to town for one performance only at St. James Anglican Church. The Vicar and her cast of merry characters will present an evening full of music, laugher, and, undoubtedly, one or two very unexpected surprises.
The Vicar of Dibley was a very popular British sit-com which originally ran on BBC One from 1994 to 2007.
The comedy was set in a small, fictional British village called Dibley, which, following the 1993 changes in the Church of England permitting the ordination of women, suddenly found itself, for the first time in its history, with a female vicar. Life would never be the same again in Dibley. The series was hugely popular in both the UK and Canada, and episodes are easily accessed online to this day.
In 2003, the Anglican parish of South Dundas organized a fundraiser for the Dundas County Food Bank (now Community Food Share) in which the Vicar (Wendy Gibb) brought her merry gang from Dibley with her to Upper Canada Playhouse. They took part in auditions for a talent(less) show. The packed audience thoroughly enjoyed the production.
The reality is that since 2007, several of the real actors who played the main roles in the original British sit-com have died. In fact, only two are still alive: Dawn French, who played Vicar Geraldine Granger, and James Fleet, who played Hugo Horton. However, the folks at St. James decided to take a break from their usual murder mysteries and hold a Vicar of Dibley Tribute Cabaret May 5 at the church.
Rev. Geraldine and Hugo will be there. And so will the deceased members of the cast, who have decided to take part in the fun as the Celestial Body of Heavenly Misfits. There will be lots of music, “dancing”, jokes (!) and story telling as the Vicar and her marvellous Misfits take to the stage.
Members of the community who will be performing in the Cabaret include Wally Baker as Hugo, Nick Lee as David Horton, Doug Jarvis as Owen Newitt, Jack Barkley as Jim Trott, Dani Shea Barkley as Alice Horton neé Tinker, Joanne Minish as Letitia Cropley, and Wendy Gibb as the Vicar (and director). There is also a talented choir who will be taking part. Rev. Pat Martin has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to produce this evening of fun. And Margaret Whisselle, musical director, is going to try to keep the choir and cast “in tune.” Light refreshments will be served after the show.
So plan to join the Vicar of Dibley Tribute Cabaret on May 5 for a light-hearted evening of music and laughs. Tickets are on sale for $15 at St. James Anglican Church (see the Leader ad). And the cast promises faithfully that at least some of the jokes may even be funny!