I Wish You Well - The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial Musical Review

12 Aug

Written by Jacqueline for Theatre and Tonic

No content warnings.

This Fringe, one recent cultural event has truly taken the theatre scene by storm: Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2023 court case. For those who don’t know, last year Paltrow found herself embroiled in a legal battle against retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who claimed that Paltrow was liable for the long-term injuries he had sustained in the pair’s 2016 skiing accident. You may think that this is an odd choice of topic for a musical, but this year’s Fringe actually sees two different musicals based on this trial: I Wish You Well and Gwyneth Goes Skiing.

With two brand new musicals based on the same topic to choose from, I have to admit that it was the casting of I Wish You Well that hooked me. Starring Diana Vickers as Gwyneth Paltrow, Marc Antolin as Terry, Tori Allen-Martin as Kristen (Terry’s lawyer) and Idriss Kargbo as Judge Jude, the cast were flawless from beginning to end. Add in some choreography by Arlene Phillips and I was hooked.

The plot of the show is simple. A collision took place on a Utah ski slope in 2016. Gwyneth claims that Terry skied into her. Terry claims it was the opposite way round. There’s no footage of the accident itself, and Terry insists that his life has been ruined by the brain injury he sustained on that day and is suing Gwyneth for three hundred thousand dollars. Gwyneth maintains her innocence and is counter-suing Terry for one dollar. Being based on a ‘celebrity trial’, I Wish You Well factors in the numerous discussions around Gwyneth’s courtroom outfits, her friendship with Taylor Swift, and her role in the marvel universe. There were numerous points during the show that bordered on being completely ridiculous and that was truly a delight to watch.

A large amount of the show’s comedy comes from its numerous pop culture references. From the infamous ‘I’d like to keep it on please’ from RuPaul’s Drag Race; to Lea Michele’s rumoured illiteracy; to Justin Timberlake’s world tour (if you know, you know) the jokes came in thick and fast. Sometimes the audience was left without a moment to process the first one-liner before the next one came hurtling our way. As much as this was fun (and the crowd were hysterical), it does mean that any future productions of the show would likely need rewrites to ensure that it stays relevant- I doubt that in 2025 anybody will care to remember the disastrous AI Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow.

I Wish You Well is a ridiculous, chaotic highlight of this year’s Fringe with a phenomenal cast and a catchy score. Whether you go into the venue knowing all the ins and outs of the trial or being completely unaware, you’re sure to have a great time watching the drama unfold.

I Wish You Well - The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial plays at Underbelly, George Square until August 26th.