Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Following a hugely successful run in London’s West End, Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial takes to The Lowry’s stage for four performances. A verbatim fast-paced production, bringing the best bits from seven days of High Court transcripts, Vardy v Rooney reveals a ridiculous, real-life saga of sleuthing, fame and social media.
Since the story first surfaced in 2019, when Colleen Rooney took to Instagram to accuse Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories to the press, the WAGatha Christie trial had all the trappings of an absurdly entertaining drama. With the actual 2022 libel case transcipts soundly pruned by Liv Hennessy and sharp direction by Lisa Spirling, this production is the first faithful iteration of how this extraordinary week in court played out.
Polly Sullivan’s design consists of a bright courtroom-cum-football pitch set. Two football pundits act as narrators – pushing the drama along and offering a commentary on the court case. The cast are all brilliant but Lucy May Barker steals the first half of the show as stroppy, oversized sunglasses-wearing Vardy. With deadpan and nonchalant delivery, there is no need for any additional one-liners, as the actual testimony given writes itself.
A performance of two halves, the two-act drama slows down after the interval when Laura Dos Santos, as Colleen Rooney (complete with surgical boot), steps up to give her testimony. Vardy’s testimony has already delivered all the best lines.
Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is, for the most part, a gripping and humorous retelling. Exploring jealousy, class and the awkward relationship between the British press and celebrity, this performance poses questions around the function of social platforms like Instagram, its correlation with the media, and our role as consumers of it.
Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial runs at The Lowry until Sunday 11 June and then heads to Brighton Theatre Royal from 15 – 17 June.