“Every day is perfect– when you’re Gwyneth Paltrow!”

Do you love Gwyneth? Or do you just love to make fun of her?  Or, perhaps, you fall somewhere in between (Like ME!)… No matter what category you fall into, one thing is for sure: Gwyneth Goes Skiing, the outrageous comedy currently enjoying a run at New York City’s SoHo Playhouse, is a crowd-pleasing laugh riot from start to finish. In fact, I’m going to be so bold to say that Gwyneth Goes Skiing is the FUNNIEST show of 2025 in New York City. (Any production looking to take possession of that title has approximately 2 months to do so… ) The show stars Linus Karp as Gwyneth, the willowy blonde star; and Joseph Martin as retired optician ophthalmologist optometrist Terry Sanderson (AKA “the man Gwyneth [allegedly] crashed into while skiing in 2016).  Gwyneth Goes Skiing features original music by Leland, special guest vocals by Darren Criss and Cat Cohen, and a video appearance by drag star Trixie Mattel.  The show, written and directed by Karp and Martin, also features singing, dancing, and enough “Gwyn-side jokes” to make the audience break a few ribs (Sorry, Terry…) from laughing so hard.   

As a child of the ’90s, I distinctly remember how the entertainment columns in (Gasp!) printed magazines and newspapers couldn’t get enough of the new “It” girl.  Even her being a NEPO baby (She’s the child of Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner.), which was indisputably beyond Gwyneth’s control, was an early source of ridicule.   Many profiles in the early ’90’s– some of them no doubt motivated by jealously for Paltrow’s perfect blonde beauty– described the Gwyneth phenomenon as “overhyped”.  Of course, one could say that Ms. Paltrow actually had the last laugh. She would go on to win an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love in 1999.  And of course, given the fact that Marvel movies often spend ONE TO TWO YEARS (!) in post-production, we can forgive our heroine forgetting that she was actually in Spider-Man: Homecoming…  Of course, her company GOOP proved to be more successful, at least monetarily, then her acting career ever could be. But even before the advent of GOOP and those infamous vagina-scented candles, there was still a lot about our beloved Gwynnie to poke gentle fun about.  And Gwyneth Goes Skiing doesn’t miss a SINGLE one of them, right down to that last delicious drop of bone broth.  Thankfully, Linus Karp’s  “Gwyneth” LOVES talking about herself, starting with the VERY first spoken words of the show: “I. AM. GWYNETH. PALTROW!” Of course, this Gwyneth isn’t afraid to boast about her achievements, from bringing the color pink back in style (“You’re welcome, gays!”) to kissing Jude Law in The Talented Mr. Ripley.  But yes, there is another character.  To his credit, Joseph Martin’s “Dr. Terry” is a formidable match to Karp’s “Gwyneth”. Certainly, it’s a more equal competition than whatever took place on those slopes back in 2016. There are indeed more characters (humans, animals, and fruits alike; “Apple” is played by a literal apple!) in this piece, some of them being impromptu actors pulled from the audience.  But more about them later…

The show begins with events leading up to their fateful meetup.  Gwyneth is enjoying some jade eggs with “current boyfriend/ future husband” Brad Falchuk (played by Paul Teresi, pulled from the audience). Simultaneously, Dr. Terry is also enjoying some (non-jade) eggs with his “current girlfriend/future ex-girlfriend” Carleen (Paulette Goto, also pulled from the audience!).  The movie star and the retired eye doc eventually find themselves vacationing in Deer Mountain in Utah.   Dr. Terry contemplates buying a $300,000 (remember that number for later…) necklace from the local jewelry merchant (Angel Love Figueroa, [all together now…] pulled from the audience…) Gwyneth and “what’s-his-name” accidentally meet up, and the star offers the doctor some inspirational advice, peppered with non-stop references from her own filmography (“This is your Sliding Doors opportunity!”).  However, their relationship becomes antagonistic after another “Gwyn-cident”– this time on the slopes.  

After a brief “Gwyn-termission”, it’s time for Act 2 and the famous trial. It’s now 2023, and Dr. Terry is suing Gwyneth for (Gasp!) $300,000.  The actress, in return, countersues for a symbolic $1.  What follows is a zany “kangaroo court” of sorts (or shall we say, “deer court”…), complete with a show-shopping dance number, a video chat with Trixie Mattel as Blythe Danner (who offers some empowering advice to her daughter: “You are gonna GWYN this, girl!”), and not one but TWO surprise Gwyt-nesses, one of whom is Arnav Chaturvedi, pulled from… well, you know. He’s a biomechanic engineer who recreates the accident scenario.  Things get tense.  Our dear Ms. Paltrow declares, “I lost half a day of skiing… but I’m not losing this case!”  Who will emerge triumphant?

Gwyneth Goes Skiing is Linus Karp’s show all the way. (Even his SKIN looks blonde!) Every single one of Gwyneth’s lines is delivered so wonderfully…and Linus knows this. However, as mentioned earlier, Joseph Martin can more than hold his own as the grumpy, middle-aged, retired optician ophthalmologist optometrist Dr. Terry. The script is goofy, zany, smart… and the direction is fast-paced and smooth.  The musical numbers, video projections, and special effects really elevate the already funny performances.

Gwyneth Goes Skiing is highly recommended. Even with a filmography of over 50 movies, this may be my favorite “Gwyneth” performance of all!

Awkward Productions’ Gwyneth Goes Skiing runs through Sunday, November 16th at SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, NYC. The show is written by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin. Original music and lyrics by Leland. Original songs produced by Gabe Lopez. Produced by Awkward Productions and Nic Connaughton.  Tickets are $45.50 (includes fees). Run time is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes with one Gwyn-termission. Schedule varies. For exact days and times, to purchase tickets, and for more info visit https://www.sohoplayhouse.com.

(Photos by Anna Clare and Johnny Ruff.)