Review: GWYNETH GOES SKIING, Pleasance London

“Prepared to be gooped”

Written by, directed by and starring Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, Gwyneth Goes Skiing is a dramatic reinterpretation of the 2016 ski crash between actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson.

If you’re familiar with Awkward Productions, you know that their shows are full of queer pop references and absolutely camp moments. Having seen and enjoyed both Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story and How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons from the 2019 Hit Movie Musical ‘Cats’, I had a bit of an idea of what to expect from Gwyneth Goes Skiing. 

Karp takes on yet another dramatic blonde diva role as Paltrow, constantly referring to her lifestyle website Goop and her films. Martin plays the disgruntled Sanderson with an aggressive accent and a deep pride for the state of Utah. They are joined on stage by a cast of voices and even some audience members, a common trend within Awkward Production shows. Indeed, there is a heavy amount of audience participation throughout the show, with some reading lines off of screens to interact, others submitting new ideas for Goop products and everyone having the opportunity to throw some “snowballs!”

One of the highlights of the show is its silliness, mostly through stupid puns; a personal favourite being Trixie Mattel as Paltrow’s mother saying “You’re gonna Gwyn this, gworl,”. The silliness begins even before the show itself starts, with the preshow playlist having some lyrics being replaced with words like “skiing” and “trial” to match the plot of the show.

The actual Deer of Deer Valley, played by a cardboard cutout and voiced by Leland, the show’s composer, makes several appearances and is apparently a big fan Spider-Man, which Paltrow claims she was never in. A favourite moment of mine was one that involved fake snow and a fan in which Paltrow comments, “Snowing from the ground up. How original.” Apple Martin, Paltrow’s daughter, is played by an actual apple, typically hooked onto a string and carried around by a stagehand. 

Another strength of the show is its acknowledgment of just how bizarre the real-life situation was. As Paltrow tells us during the testimonies, “For the record, this section is surprisingly close to verbatim.” Both performers and audience members are aware of the ridiculousness of the trial and everything is delightfully blown out of proportion, including a bit about a $300,000 Deer of Deer Valley necklace and Paltrow having the ability to talk to animals like squirrels and rabbits. There’s also a great running gag during the trial of Paltrow trying to come up with the iconic line she whispered into Sanderson’s ear at the end of the trial, “I wish you well,” which leads to the finale of the show. 

Unfortunately, the show’s strength is also, at times, its weakness. While the visual gag of Apple being played by an apple is funny the first few times, the bit goes on for a bit too long in some scenes, including the part when Apple is on the stand and only “speaks” in crunching noises for several minutes. The songs are fun, but sometimes go on longer than necessary. I enjoyed the use of puppetry and Martin’s performance as Sanderson’s lawyer, but the moments with the puppet could have been a bit shorter. There are also some random moments that really make no sense and add nothing to the plot, like an appearance by Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia in puppet form. As said by Paltrow herself, sometimes there is “not enough actual plot . . . I mean, evidence.”

In the end, it is up for the audience to decide the verdict, as we are the “girls, gays and theys of the jury.” Each table has a QR code for audience members to scan and they are taken to a form where they can vote for who they think is guilty - Gwyneth Paltrow or Terry Sanderson. According to the form, there are actually two endings to the show, though I highly doubt there will ever come a day when Paltrow is found guilty!

Ultimately, Gwyneth Goes Skiing is a fun and delightfully queer show that has lots of hilarious audience participation and some great musical moments (even if it is a play with music). It is full of joy and some truly silly puns that had be groaning with a smile. Though I do have a few gripes with the plot of the show, as the performers say at the end, “It’s theatre, so fuck logic and common sense.” I look forward to seeing more from Awkward Productions in the future!

Gwyneth Goes Skiing runs until 16 February at Pleasance London.

Photo Credit: Jonny Ruff

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