Wagatha Christie

Wagatha Christie

Wallasey Musical Theatre Company

Gladstone Theatre

9th May 2026

 

In 2019, Colleen Rooney (wife of footballer Wayne Rooney) suspected someone was leaking stories from her private Instagram account to The Sun newspaper. To catch the culprit, she conducted a month-long operation. She blocked all other followers from viewing her stories, leaving only Rebekah Vardy's account with access. She then posted a series of entirely fabricated stories including a fake gender-selection clinic visit and a flooded basement. When these fake stories appeared in The Sun, Rooney publicly revealed her findings on Twitter and Instagram famously ending her statement with: "It's Rebekah Vardy's account.”

Rebekah Vardy (wife of footballer Jamie Vardy) vehemently denied the allegations and sued Rooney for libel to clear her name. However, during the 2022 trial, the High Court heard that Vardy’s agent, Caroline Watt, had routinely passed information about Rooney's private life to journalists. The judge, Mrs Justice Steyn (Kelly Fisher), ruled that Vardy knew about, condoned, and was actively engaged in this process . As Rooney successfully proved her allegations were "substantially true" (the legal defence of truth), Vardy's libel claim was dismissed.

 

Adapted by Liz Hennessey this production is a "verbatim" play, meaning all the dialogue is lifted straight from seven days of High Court transcripts, witness testimonies, and WhatsApp messages. Well done to Director Katie Morris and Stage Manager Libby Challoner, their attention to detail was first class.   The show alternates between Rebekah Vardy (Leanne Burgess) and Colleen Rooney (Olivia Mullady-Timson) in the witness box as they are cross-examined by their lawyers. Celebrity lawyer David Sherbourne (Ollie Ball) represented Rooney, & media and privacy lawyer Hugh Tomlinson (Jack Sanderson) represented Vardy. The script frequently breaks up the heavy legal proceedings by utilizing a pair of football pundit characters Pundit One (James Bennett) & Pundit Two (Kaitlin Kay) who deliver hilarious, sports-style commentary and analysis on the trial's dramatic twists. In the play (as in real life), the court dissects the absurd and often cringeworthy reality of modern celebrity life, dealing with lost phones, deleted evidence, and out-of-touch testimonies.

Beyond the strength of the principal performances, this production of Wagatha Christie succeeded because of the confidence and quality of the production as a whole. The direction kept the pace sharp and engaging throughout, balancing the humour, and very recognisable public drama at the heart of the story. The production captured both the media frenzy and the human side of the events, allowing the audience to become completely absorbed in the unfolding courtroom battle.The staging was effective, making good use of the performance space to recreate the atmosphere of celebrity culture, and obsession with social media.

Overall, this was a hugely entertaining and well-executed production that combined strong performances and assured direction. Wallasey Musical Theatre Company should be congratulated for bringing such a high-profile and contemporary story to the stage with wit, energy and great Liverpool flair.

The audience loved it judging by the rousing applause, it was a blast.

 

Joanne Rymer

NODA

District 4.

 

 

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