I Wish You Well (Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial) - Criterion

Which version is this?

I remember there being one with Linus Karp (the Diana guy), and then evil vulture PTM announced his own version for the Turbine 🤮

They'll have to extend this if it's to play in the West End. At the Fringe it was an hour - though I'm not sure there's much they could add as it was really a case of style over substance. The score was alright, and there were strong performances from the cast of 4. But I didn't leave thinking it deserved a transfer.

To be fair @sohoplaces brought three in in rep!

It's also...sh*te guys.

It's peak Paul Taylor Mills - I'll leave you all to take that as you will...

Cheap car boot sale level production. How people still support him, I’m never know

5 weeks. Lenth: 60 minutes

www.criterion-theatre.co.uk/iwishyouwell

I really am not that interested in paying west end ticket price (£40-£60) for a 60 minute show. It feels like a missed opportunity not to bring another Edinburgh show for the second half.

Five stars from Playbill.

"Filled to the brim with sky-high belting, mile-a-minute references for theatre fans and the terminally online alike, and a ballroom-inspired catwalk, the show masterfully weaves in true pathos and emotional connection."

I grabbed one of the front row stalls side seats on TodayTix for £15 next week before realising they’ve reduced the entire auditorium this week for only £4.72 more! Not sure how restricted my view will be but can’t go wrong for that price these days.

At least it seems to be dying on it’s arse

Saw this tonight on a whim because I was intrigued, and didn't trust the show to last its entire run, and it turned out to be the funniest thing I've seen in ages!

Unlike the Vardy trial comedy, which presented the real words of the trial in funny ways, this is MUCH broader comedy, with little connection to reality. It's all entirely written for camp laughs, satirising the worship of fame, it's powerfully sung and the comedy acting is exceptional.

Some spoilers follow. . .

The main character is arguably not the two litigants at all, but rather Terry's lawyer, Kristin Fangirlin, who is fangirling over Gwyneth Paltrow faster and funnier than anyone in the "Fangirls" musical, despite the fact that she is supposed to be suing Paltrow, and she worships Taylor Swift even more!

Tori Allen-Martin, as Fangirlin, nails every single laugh, and then adds extra laughs by the ecstatic silliness of her performance: "I've done my time with paedos and rapists," she growls furiously, as she quivers worshipfully in Diana Vickers's Paltrow's presence, mispronouncing words by emphasising last syllables and revealing how Paltrow's performance in "Shallow Hal" so overwhelmed her that she too wanted to hook up with "an emotionally limited white male." She's a hoot!

As the Judge, Judge Judy's brother, Judge Jude, Idriss Kargbo is basically Billy Porter from "Pose," wanting to conduct the case like a war between "the houses," Kargbo confirming his lack of bias by admitting he has one of Paltrow's "Jade Eggs" from the House of "Poop" (not Goop) "up [his] ass." Kargbo is fabulous, funny, and utterly unrestrained! He's wild!

Diana Vickers's Paltrow is less like the real Paltrow, and more like a Goddess descended from Mount Olympus, exuding an imperious power in her posture and in her deep dark belt, existing only to be worshipped for her every vacuous utterance about "organic honeybees, "vaginal steaming" "global boiling" and whatnot. She radiates!

At first it appears that Mark Antolin's Terry, the geriatric plaintiff in the ski trial case will be left behind in the camp and comedy stakes, but then he gets a song where he basically raucously strips, and Antolin lets loose with the kind of madcap comic timing that will serve him well as Leo Bloom in the Menier's "The Producers." He's zany!

This is a wild, wacky, broad, camp comedy hour that fires on all cylinders and which might be even better with a slightly intoxicated audience ready to whoop it up along with the performers. Fantastic escapist silly satirical fun to the tune of 4 and a half stars.

And this entertainment can be had cheaper than chips for prime stalls!