I Wish You Well review – Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial musical is a hit

It’s clearly a juicy topic for a show – the time Gwyneth Paltrow had to attend a Utah courtroom after being sued for liability after a ski slope collision by aggrieved optometrist Terry Sanderson. So juicy, in fact, that two different productions, Gwyneth Goes Skiing and I Wish You Well, are both up at the Edinburgh Fringe at the same time – the former after a spell at London’s Pleasance Theatre.

The latter, penned by Rick Pearson and Roger Dipper, takes up residency in Underbelly’s bulky purple cow – famously a spot where shows like Six and Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder used to call home before they landed in the West End.

Material-wise, all the contemporary cultural references are on offer here – nods to Taylor Swift, Paltrow flicks and a certain scented candle are all delivered with aplomb across the one act. Director Shiv Rabheru is at ease keeping the momentum high and the ludicrousness levels even higher, while there’s some stand-out work from choreographer Arlene Phillips (not a surprise admittedly).

But what really carries the show here is the work of its four-strong ensemble – each given dozens of opportunities to revel in the spotlight. Marc Antolin and Idriss Kargbo are wonderful as Sanderson and the judge, with Kargbo getting a particularly effervescent dance break mid-way through the show. Diana Vickers nails that refined brand of charismatic aloofness that Paltrow has made her own, but the real star here is Tori Allen-Martin as Sanderson’s lawyer Kristin, starry-eyed and spellbound by Paltrow yet somehow still attempting to defend her client.

The reason the topic works so well for a performance is because, ultimately, the trial was all a performance – posturing by an opportunist hunting for fame, a star protecting her optics and a small town transfixed by its moment in the media’s eye. Musicals involve the suspension of disbelief, so did this entire affair. I Wish You Well nails that energy.