Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Phoenix Atkinson enjoys an immersive and hilarious skiing-infused show
Image: Joseph Martin and Linus Karp in Gwyneth Goes Skiing by Jonny Ruff
I lost two hours of skiing. And what a fantastic way to do so! Gwyneth Goes Skiing is about the actress, Goop owner and skiing extraordinaire Gwyneth Paltrow and retired optometrist and “man from Utah” Terry Sanderson. Gwyneth Paltrow is played by Linus Karp, who gives a remarkable performance, leaning into the airy strangeness that has become Paltrow’s trademark, and Terry Sanderson is played by Joseph Martin, who performs the character with an incredible amount of depth and humour, letting the show be about them both equally.
The show starts with a run through of both characters’ circumstances, opening with hilarity from the very beginning. Remixes of songs played before the start of the show, with the word “ski” inserted in increasingly random ways, giving the audience a chance to adjust to the absolute madness that was about to ensue. Some members of the audience were given supporting roles to play in the show, making it a truly fun and immersive experience. The characters were fully formed from the second they appeared on stage, which is an absolute credit to Karp and Martin as performers and writers. The first act ends with See You In Court, where Sanderson (singing voice provided by Darren Criss) processes his Sliding Doors moment and decides to sue Paltrow (singing voice provided by Catherine Cohen) over the collision.
The second act involves the actual court case, where lawyer Kristen Van Orman is portrayed as a Muppet-esque puppet, excellently performed by Martin and Trixie Mattel appears as a video call from Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner. The court case is dramatised, but some (if not all) of the wildest moments are almost completely verbatim, which the audience is reminded of through a voiceover. It’s grippingly written and performed, with the audience (who become the jury) kept totally on edge, never knowing how the next five minutes would turn out. The tension reaches a high point in the minute that the audience votes on who is guilty.
The audience on the night I went decided that Sanderson was guilty, and was treated to the famous “I wish you well” moment, and then a remarkably fun musical number about how they could be friends one day.
This is the perfect show. It’s ridiculous, campy, pure chaotic fun concentrated in sharp, comic bursts. It’s tight, but both performers clearly have skills in improvising with audience members, so never feels nervy.
