WW Reviews

The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical

I Wish You Well follows the Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial of 2016 in which Ms Paltrow was accused of causing a ski accident that left a man permanently injured. Ms Paltrow was eventually found not guilty and after the verdict, left the courtroom crossing briefly to the prosecution and whispering to the man who had accused her ‘I wish you well.’ This was one of two musicals at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which covered the ski trial. After seeing this production I have no desire to see any other theatrical performances surrounding this event.

The actors produced an energetic feel with interesting choreography from Arlene Phillips. The musical was certainly high energy but I felt this energy masked a more interesting story regarding celebrity trails and how juries and judges can be prejudiced by fame but this was never explored. The musical also failed to give any thought or mention to Terry, the man who accused Ms Paltrow, and how he may be affected by the press attention and the circus surrounding the trial. I felt that Terry was laughed at and whilst this was a comedy musical it reflects real people and Terry is unwell and injured. It felt cruel to target such a vulnerable person who was, in his eyes, trying to achieve justice.

The songs were not memorable, and whilst a song does not need to be memorable to be good and fitting for a show, these were neither. The one exception is ‘I Wish You Well’ which Diana Vickers sang beautifully at the end of the musical. However, the costumes particularly for Diana Vickers (Gwyneth Paltrow) were perfect for the character and mimicked the real life trial.

Idriss Kargbo (Judge Jude) had an impressive dance sequence but I found myself wondering why this sequence was necessary. It added nothing to the plot and was not humorous it therefore felt added simply to squeeze extra time out of the thin plot or to draw the audience in and impress them. Certainly, I seemed an outlier in the audience as most of the people around me were enjoying themselves but the performance I saw was after the West End transfer of this musical had been announced and I have to wonder if this influenced the audience. Did the audience truly enjoy this material or did they wish to enjoy it simply because they thought it had been deemed so good as to deserve a West End transfer?

The budget outmatched the strength of the material. It was the most well funded show I saw at the fringe yet seemed to have the least amount of material. The musical was marketed as a comedy but had very few jokes. The supposed ‘jokes’ it did have were not amusing or well written. Simply repeating the word ‘collision’ in a silly way does not a joke make and the more times ‘collision’ was said the more unhappy I became. This is not a reflection on the mammoth efforts of the cast and musicians who tried their best to make this musical work.

Overall, I never wish to see this show again as I felt it was unduly cruel to an injured and sick man, fetishized Gwyneth Paltrow turning her into an idol and was never funny nor clever.

Photography by: Mark Senior

Performance:
Friday 23rd August 2024
17:45
Underbelly, George Square – Udderbelly

Music and Lyrics by: Rick Pearson

Book and Additional Lyrics by: Roger Dipper

Directed by: Shiv Rabheru

Cast: