Reviewed by Amelia
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
Following a 2016 collision with a retired optometrist, Gwyneth Paltrow found herself being sued for $300,000, facing allegations that her reckless skiing caused her to run into Terry Sanderson and cause him injuries impacting his daily life. Initially seeking more than $3.1 million, Sanderson’s guilt was found in a mere matter of hours by the jury, coming to the conclusion that he was in fact at fault for the accident. Now for some reason, Awkward Productions (Diana: The Untold & Untrue Story) looked at this real-lifestory and decided that the best course of action was to obviously create a show about it. With global success in London, Edinburgh Fringe and even Park City, Utah (where the actual trial happened), Gwyneth Goes Skiing proves that, sometimes, you really can make a play about anything.
Written, directed and starring Linus Karp (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Joseph Martin (Terry Sanderson), the double act brings all the chaos and camp to this wonderful production. It never feels like it’s just the two of them, thanks to some brilliant cameos and audience participation. Featuring original music by Leland (RuPaul's Drag Race, Cher's Christmas, Troye Sivan's Something To Give Each Other), vocals by Darren Criss and Cat Cohen and a special video performance by drag icon Trixie Mattel, the show is jam packed with pop culture, constant apple references, and a whole lot of Goop!
Karp is giving pure nepo baby vibes as Paltrow and it’s an assured performance through the whole piece. He never lets up the character and is surprisingly believable as a Hollywood female star. His highlights come from his relationships with the audience members that are invited on stage, and he seems to thrive off the turmoil this brings. Some of those in the stalls area were given actual characters with lines and direction coming from tv screens. This helps the production feel more fleshed out and avoids too much multi-rolling from the actual cast.
Martin plays Sanderson as the biggest loser of them all and sets the tone for the rapport he has with Paltrow from the offset. He is loud and obnoxious and even though the outcome is decided by the audience via a QR code, I struggle to imagine the ending where we would vote in his favour. He comes alive in the second act, doubling up as his own lawyer using a puppet. This eccentric role counteracts Sanderson by being overly obsessed with Karp’s character, and the production drops in some hilarious questions she did actually ask Paltrow in the trial. I think he is overshadowed by the star power of his opposite, but being up against that portrayal of Paltrow is a massive feat.
I did go into the piece expecting more songs, due to the vocals added from Darren Criss and Cat Cohen, but the few that we did get were great. The final song featuring the iconic line, ‘I wish you well’ was the best way to round off the piece. It was also nice to see effects like snow being used in such a small space, as it’s easy to sacrifice on the small details when you aren’t in a fully-fledged theatre. We’re taken to Utah’s Deer Valley Resort via a ski backdrop and foam falling from the sky, but really that’s all we need when the cast are performing the way they are.
This quirky piece of theatre really does deserve all the love and support it receives. Gwyneth Goes Skiing is running at the Pleasance in London until the 21st of December and you’ll be ‘gwynning’ if you get to see it!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tickets for the run at the Pleasance in London can be found by visiting https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/gwyneth-goes-skiing
The show plays on tour including in the US in 2025. Visit https://linktr.ee/awkwardprods for more information.
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