The Argus reviews Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial

The infamous words that caused a media storm and gave us a thrilling real life soap opera.

Now the court case resulting from the war of the Wags between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy has inspired a theatre production.

Rooney accused Vardy of leaking stories about her to the press using information from her private Instagram account.

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, which comes to Brighton on Thursday for three nights, was humorous, well-constructed and cleverly stylistic and I was completely entertained by the production.

The trial that gripped the nation has been adapted from seven days of High Court transcripts by Liv Hennessy (finalist in the Paines Plough’s Women’s Prize for Playwriting) and directed by Lisa Spirling (artistic director of Theatre503).

Vardy and Rooney in court (Image: Pamela Raith Photography)

Audiences are given an insight into what went on behind closed doors of the libel case, brought by Vardy against Rooney, which turned social media sleuthing into high drama.

I was shocked and equally amused at the often farcical goings on in the courtroom as Vardy was quizzed about missing phones in the North Sea and Wayne Rooney was questioned about his wife’s detective skills.

Performances from Lucy May Barker as Rebekah Vardy, Laura Dos Santos as Coleen Rooney (complete with leg brace), Jonathan Broadbent as Hugh Tomlinson QC, Tom Turner as David Sherborne and Nathan McMullen playing multiple roles including Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy were witty, wry and playful.

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The courtroom drama was often paused as two sports pundits came on stage to give a commentary at what we had just witnessed and to give some alternative takeaways from the two women’s evidence to avoid any legal suits.

Vardy taking to the stand (Image: Pamela Raith Photography)

This added another dimension to the show and kept the audience engaged throughout the long courtroom scenes.

This bizarre moment in British media history captivated the country and people going to see the play will find themselves equally enthralled by this interpretation.

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial plays at Theatre Royal Brighton for four performances only from Thursday, June 15, to Saturday, June 17.