Gwyneth Goes Skiing
Awkward Productions
Written and directed by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin
Pleasance Courtyard (Forth)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 8 August 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Silly, snowy and smart! Another triumph for Awkward Prods.
"Recounting the now-infamous collision in 2016 on the slopes of Deer Valley and the court case that enthralled the world, Gwyneth Goes Skiing is a very silly story of justice, betrayal and optometry that makes the audience the jury, asking them to decide who's guilty and who's gooped."
Written and performed by the fearless geniuses behind fringe hit Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, Awkwards Productions' Linus Karp and Joseph Martin now turn their attentions to another blonde superstar, Gwyneth Paltrow. With their usual mix of puppetry, parody and 'stranger than fiction' facts, with 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' Karp and Martin have created another audacious, enthralling and endlessly entertaining play with music.
Leaving us in no doubt who yields the power in this case, on one side we have the Goop-founding, Door-Sliding, Shakespeare-In-Loving, consciously-uncoupling Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow (Linus Karp) against, on the other side, a retired Optometrist from Utah, Terry Sanderson (Joseph Martin.) Karp and Martin bounce brilliantly off one-another and there are plenty of audience cameos and puppets to mix up the fun.
Linus Karp's audience interaction is brilliant but brutal. Goop forgive anyone who dares try to leave or enter the stage at the wrong time or steal a second of Gwyneth's limelight! I honestly would go watch a show of just Linus admonishing the audience. It's a rare talent to remain as composed as he does in the face of potential chaos. But his sharp observation skills and unforgiving retorts are glorious and never fail to invigorate the crowd. His co-star does not escape unscathed either: When Joseph had to manage with a broken ski at this performance his life was not made any easier by Linus. The ad-libs are always a real highlight of Awkward's shows - their chemistry and playful joshing of one another is something that money can't buy.
Joseph Martin himself, who was somewhat hidden behind the facade of Camila in the 'Diana' show, here gets much more stage time and proves he's just as capable and alluring a performer as his partner (sorry Linus!)
At 80 minutes run time 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' has the scope to take us through the whole ski crash incident as well as the trial that followed. Much of the dialogue for the trial scene is lifted directly from court transcripts and it's genuinely unbelievable. As someone with almost zero knowledge of this trial or of the outcome, I learnt all I needed to know to allow me to act as one of the jurors and vote on the guilty party at the end of the play. As always with Awkward they've put keen thought into involving their audience at every stage of the proceedings; it's refreshing and appreciated. I won't spoil anything, but there are ample opportunities for those who want to be involved beyond the voting to do so. And even those of us who prefer to remain in our seats get to throw snowballs at one point (joy!)
Although Paltrow and Sanderson are the undoubted stars of this play we also meet many other characters along the way. My personal favourites appeared in puppet form, Joseph Martin proving yet again to be a hilarious yet skilled puppeteer. But we also have a sublime onscreen cameo from human Drag icon Trixie Mattel as Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner and more than a few appearances from Gwyneth's daughter Apple... as an actual apple.
The star casting doesn't stop there: 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' is sprinkled with great original songs from Leland (the singer / songwriter behind many RuPaul's Drag Race and other popular artists hits.) The songs are performed by (among others) Glee and Broadway legend Darren Criss and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, actress and singer Cat Cohen.
With exemplary production values, potentially libelous tongue-in-cheek humour, a great cast, sharp writing and lots and lots of snowy frivolous fun, 'Gwyneth Goes Skiing' is a great pick for anyone looking to be transported to the slippery ski slopes of Utah this Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⛷️ Gwyneth Goes Skiing plays at the Pleasance Courtyard (Forth) until 26 August.
jump to listings info | Cast & Creatives info
👑 If you enjoyed watching Linus Karp as a beautiful lady in a blonde wig do not miss Awkward Productions other show at the Fringe, the incredibly brilliant and highly offensive Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story which runs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 20th – 24th August, 11pm, at Pleasance Courtyard (Beyond). Read my review of Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story here
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Gwyneth Goes Skiing Cast & Creatives
Gwyneth Paltrow Linus Karp
Terry Sanderson Joseph Martin
Singing Voice of Gwyneth Paltrow Cat Cohen
Singing Voice of Terry Sanderson Darren Criss
Blythe Danner Trixie Mattel
Deer of Deer Valley Leland
Voice of Deer Valley Rabbit Sam Carlyle
Squirrel Wez Maddocks
Judge Dan Hildebrand
Co-directors, Writers and Lyrics Linus Karp, Joseph Martin
Original Music and Lyrics Leland
Linus Karp and Joseph Martin comment: "Getting to showcase our goopy show at the Edinburgh Fringe is a dream. For that show to include amazing work from absolute icons Leland, Trixie Mattel, Darren Criss and Cat Cohen is an even wilder dream. Can't wait to go skiing in August - See you in Court(yard)!"
Gwyneth Goes Skiing Edinburgh dates
Title Gwyneth Goes Skiing
Performance Dates Wed 31 July – Mon 26 August 2024 (not 5th, 12th, 19th), 15:30
Location Pleasance Courtyard (Forth), 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ
🎟️ Tickets are available from www.pleasance.co.uk | £11 Weekday: £17 (£15) Weekend: £20 (£18)
⌚ Running time: 80 minutes
⚠️ Age Recommendation | 14+
Warnings: This show contains some strong language, haze, flashing lights, exploding vagina candles (maybe) and audience participation.
Gwyneth Goes Skiing review, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, Awkward Productions, Pleasance.
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🎟️ Disclosure: I am an Edinburgh Festival Fringe accredited media reviewer and as such I receive complimentary press tickets in exchange for my honest reviews. My reviews and star ratings are always my honest opinions.
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