Nothing screams ‘musical theatre‘ quite like a legal battle over a 2016 ski collision, right? It has drama, it has deception, it has… Gwyneth Paltrow whispering “I wish you well” into the ear of a retired optometrist. Let’s face it: it was always destined for the stage.
Self-proclaimed ‘harbingers of queer chaos’, Awkward Productions, have taken the high-profile lawsuit, given it a theatrical glow-up, and turned it into Gwyneth Goes Skiing. I’m already completely and utterly sold.
The synopsis reads: “She’s the Goop-founding, Door-Sliding, Shakespeare-In-Loving, consciously-uncoupling Hollywood superstar. He’s a retired Optometrist from Utah. In 2016, they went skiing. On the slopes of Deer Valley, their worlds collided, and so did they – literally. Ouch. Seven years later in 2023, they went to court. Double ouch. This is their story. Kind of. Not really. But also, it’s at Christmas.”
The trial began in March 2023 when Terry Sanderson (a 76-year old retired optometrist from Utah) took Paltrow to court after a collision at the Deer Valley ski resort back in 2016. He originally sued her for a whopping $3million but later reduced this to $300,000. Let’s just say – it continued to go swiftly downhill from there.
Sanderson claimed Paltrow had caused him a traumatic brain injury and four broken ribs after crashing into him. Paltrow’s attorneys countersued, claiming that he ran into her. Increasingly bizarre (and meme-able) moments continued to occur throughout the course of the trial, which culminated in the jury siding with Paltrow and Sanderson having to pay Paltrow just $1 (oh and cover her legal fees which would have amounted in a seven-figure sum). Sanderson later admitted that it has ‘absolutely not‘ been worth suing Paltrow.
The stage adaptation will feature original songs written by US singer-songwriter, Leland, who has previously worked with the likes of Selena Gomez. Linus Karp will be taking on the role of Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Martin will be playing Terry Sanderson for the ten-day run at London‘s Pleasance Theatre. Audience members will serve as the jury in what is sure to be a gripping piste of theatre.
I certainly wish them well with the run.
Gwyneth Goes Skiing will run at London’s Pleasance Theatre from December 13 – December 23.
Find out more and book your tickets here.