About the Show

It's ...... the stage adaptation of the libel trial of Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney.

In late 2019, Coleen Rooney - the wife of footballer Wayne Rooney - published a tweet that set social media ablaze. She suspected a follower of her private Instagram account was leaking stories about her to the tabloid press, so she laid traps - in the form of limited-view Instagram stories - to smoke out the identity of the leaker. In the now-infamous tweet, she revealed the details of her investigation and the account she believed to be behind the tabloid leaks: "It’s ..........Rebekah Vardy’s account.".
Vardy subsequently sued Rooney for libel, which lead to a 2022 trial in the High Court of Justice.

This production, written by Liv Hennessy, is based on the transcripts of the trial and details how the trial played out in court over one extraordinary week.

This production is recommended for ages 12+.

Critic Reviews (8)

“Although the source material may be outrageously superficial, the women of this show are anything but. Their depictions of England's most famous WAGs (and their associates) uphold the notion that the humanity is more complicated and dissecting that is far more rewarding than explaining the offside rule.”
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Vardy V Rooney also remains true to actual events, while subtly asking questions about how the social media age affects privacy for us all. There's plenty to enjoy in this fascinating real-life drama, while Lucy May Barker and Laura Dos Santos promote this whodunnit to the premier league.
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Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is a laugh-out-loud show that plays on the absurdity of a single tweet that became one of the most followed court cases in recent memory. It has all the markers of a great mystery novel and is as silly as it is entertaining.
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“The court events are so inherently theatrical that rehashing the exact dialogue takes away from the drama...Everyone already watched this trial happen, and simply staging the transcripts dilutes their impact.”
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“You don't have to like football to like ‘Vardy v Rooney’ because it's not about the beautiful game; it's about privacy and responsibility in the age of social media but also about how badly people can behave while convincing themselves not just that they are innocent, but that they are victims too.”
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"The cast are solid, doing as well as they can with an undramatic script and a courtroom setting in which everyone is on their best...We had a lot of hope for this much-anticipated theatrical event, but were left sorely wanting."
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“This play really is an unexpected delight – sensational in its approach thanks to the often absurdity of the claims and in particular Vardy’s responses, it translates to the stage effortlessly thanks to inspired direction and ingenious additions to the writing in the style of the correspondents.”
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“If this play was just about absurdity, it wouldn’t be interesting. Beside the comedy, the women’s poised performances demonstrate clearly this is about power and wealth, and Lisa Spirling’s production...reminds us where that power has come from.”
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Trailer

Creative team