Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Lowry, Salford

Along with the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, it’s the celebrity story that gripped the nation when it culminated in a court hearing last year. The moment that Coleen Rooney turned private detective and ousted her former pal Rebekah Vary as the “leak” of stories she was publishing on her private Instagram account. Rooney famously blocked all her followers bar Vardy, published a series of false stories to see if they made their way into the press and finalised her Wagatha Christie moment by an announcement across all her public social media accounts – “I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one

person has viewed them. It’s …….. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

It’s been turned into memes, it was plastered across the press and it was transformed into a West End show and now Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is showing at The Lowry in Salford. Court transcripts have been stripped back to showcase just over 90 minutes of the juiciest moments of the week-long High Court trial. While predominantly verbatim, the piece is dramatised by the addition of two sports pundits, who help fill in some of the gaps of the trial, explain some of the legal terminology and inject some humour at the moments the barristers score a win during their cross-examinations. The cast also bring to life some of the evidence that was presented in court, namely WhatsApp messages.

It’s hard to believe that a year on, this celebrity rivalry is still of significant public interest and certainly that is has its own stand of merchandise as you enter the theatre (complete with Team Vardy and Team Rooney badges). After all, popular culture moves so fast – who is the hero, the villain, the number one search on Google, changes with the blink of an eye. Like the Chicago case of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, it just takes the next big thing for you to be knocked from the headlines. And yet, this show has somehow made into the Lowry’s biggest theatre, the Lyric, and earned itself enough of a reputation to whip up a large crowd. It’s still capturing attention, even now. But it’s a juicy case, one that doesn’t come around all that often and it’s the closest many an audience member is going to get to literally being in the court room. With two high profile figures, with high profile husbands, in battle, it is natural for anybody to want to know more – why the frenemies would ever have wanted it to get that far, to be so public about their altercation and see their past delved into as well – complete with Vardy’s sexual history with Peter Andre and Wayne Rooney’s affair. And why Caroline Watt, Vardy’s former friend and agent, was not in court testifying. It’s human nature to want to know the nitty gritty detail, especially when it’s been handed on a plate, for all to see.

The cast really is superb, with fantastic material from adapter Liv Hennessy and direction from Lisa Spirling. The leading ladies Lucy May Barker (Vardy) and Laura Dos Santos (Rooney) especially, have nailed their characterisation, from the way they hold themselves, to the way they deliver their lines, they are a mesmerising watch and utterly believable. And with some chance for dramatic interpretation, they manage to add many a laugh out loud moment with some of their cringeworthy dialogue. Tom Turner, too, makes a superb David Sherborne, the lawyer who has represented huge names including Depp and Prince Harry – his quick fire questioning and ability to showcase major flaws in Vardy’s interpretation of events providing some of the most captivating moments.

While predictable – of course – it’s clever combination of football and court terminology, complete with slick delivery and a stellar cast, make it well worth a watch. Once you’ve watched it, you’ve watched it, it’s not a production you would return to time and time again, but it’s captured a moment of recent history in an entertaining, yet faithful, way. It’s …….. a thumbs up for Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial.