Nothing is assured to fill extra column inches than an excellent old school libel trial the place reputations are made, misplaced and finally buried. If solely they realised: a narrative dies should you simply let or not it’s; right this moment’s headlines are tomorrow’s footnotes as an countless stream of gossip fills the void. But for a privileged few it turns into an irresistible plaything. Social affirmation and public vindication are robust weapons when you’ve got a reputation to guard. Football WAGs Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy fell out in specular style when a easy ‘sting’ uncovered a hard ‘leak’. This wonderful manufacturing picks the story up because the trial begins.
It went off massive type in October 2019 when Rooney (Laura Dos Santos) uncovered Vardy (Lucy May Barker) because the supply of leaks from her Instagram account. Having blocked entry to all different followers faux tales have been planted to see in the event that they appeared within the papers. Sure sufficient, they did and Vardy was caught by the proverbial offside lure. So the legend of Wagatha Christie was born within the full glare of tabloid publicity. Vardy launched a libel motion towards Rooney in June 2020 and the scene was set for the warring WAGs to do battle. They rent big-hitting barristers Hugh Tomlinson QC (Jonnie Broadbent) and David Sherborne (Tom Turner) with Mrs Justice Steyn (Verna Vyas) because the inscrutable presiding choose. Halema Hussain and Nathan McMullen are the roving pundits who additionally double up in varied supporting roles.
The compact venue completely fits the play, with a well-appointed set retaining the glamour and gravitas of a courtroom. Adapted from unique courtroom transcripts it feels genuine and modern. It additionally finds a degree of humour that befits inflated egos frolicked to dry. Predictably, the soccer analogies come thick and quick however isn’t any much less entertaining consequently. Aside from some comedic padding, it holds up nicely as a primarily factual account. It’s tough to really feel sympathy for both aspect as they each made fools of themselves to a better or lesser extent. Vardy and Rooney spent £3 million in authorized charges to settle nothing greater than a petty squabble. It is an outrageous waste of cash however such circumstances carry out an important perform in a bleak panorama. They present gentle and shade towards the loss of life and destruction that normally fills newspapers; and we wouldn’t have gotten such nice leisure like this present?Review by Brian Penn
Seat: Stalls G4 | Price of Ticket: £59